Mirziyoyev Orders Measures to Boost Meat and Milk Production

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed proposals to develop Uzbekistan's livestock and poultry sectors aimed at increasing meat and dairy production, introducing modern technologies and strengthening domestic food supplies.

Officials said annual demand for meat has reached 2.15 million tonnes, while current production stands at about 1.6 million tonnes. The increase in demand has been driven by population growth and rising tourist arrivals.

To reduce the shortfall, the government has prepared a livestock development programme for 2026–2028. Through the revival of idle enterprises, support for specialized districts, construction of new facilities for household farms and implementation of investment projects, the programme aims to increase meat production by an additional 190,000 tonnes.

The plan includes restoring operations at 103 livestock enterprises. The proposed measures include debt restructuring or repayment over up to 10 years, allocating land for fodder production and supplying breeding livestock. These measures are expected to support 33,000 head of cattle and increase annual production by 12,000 tonnes of meat and 40,000 tonnes of milk.

In 13 livestock-specialized districts, authorities plan to improve the use of 75,000 hectares of fodder land, finance small-scale projects and establish milk collection centers and feed sales outlets.

Support for household farms is another priority. The programme calls for the construction of 11,000 lightweight cattle sheds with capacity for 421,000 head of cattle.

A total of 802 new projects worth 3 trillion soums are expected to create conditions for raising more than 68,000 head of cattle and 186,000 sheep and goats. The projects are projected to increase annual output by 20,000 tonnes of meat and 120,000 tonnes of milk.

The presentation also included the results of an artificial intelligence-based assessment of livestock complexes in Karakalpakstan. The analysis found that the combined debt of 20 surveyed complexes amounted to 109.6 billion soums, with half of them classified as high-risk. Insufficient feed resources and inadequate infrastructure were identified as the main challenges.

To revive the sector, officials proposed reducing the debt burden on enterprises, strengthening the feed base, gradually bringing livestock complexes back into operation and supplying them with breeding animals.

The programme also предусматривает the import of 150,000 sheep from Mongolia, 100,000 head of breeding cattle from China and European countries, and 2,000 head of cattle from Belarus. According to government estimates, these imports will increase annual meat production by a further 44,000 tonnes.

Overall, US$463 million is planned for investment in the livestock sector.

Particular emphasis will be placed on supporting household farms and specialized mahallas. Currently, 2,407 mahallas in 191 districts specialize in livestock farming and are home to about 3.9 million people. The programme aims to expand their access to breeding livestock, artificial insemination services, animal feed, veterinary care and subsidies.

In breeding livestock production, authorities plan to establish farms with capacity for 200 head of cattle in 13 districts, carry out artificial insemination for 500,000 cows annually and introduce embryo transfer technologies.

The presentation also included a proposal to establish the Livestock Breeders Association of Uzbekistan. The association would represent producers' interests, promote cooperation, breeding programmes, scientific research, innovation, financial support and export promotion.

Officials also presented the unified digital platform "Smart Fermer", which will enable farmers to register livestock, request veterinary services, receive advice on artificial insemination, feeding and pasture management, apply for subsidies and access artificial intelligence-based recommendations.

In the poultry sector, projects worth a total of US$432 million are planned. By 2028, Uzbekistan aims to increase poultry meat production by an additional 100,000 tonnes, expand compound feed production capacity to 3.3 million tonnes and raise the share of modern slaughter systems from 20% to 50%.

Following the presentation, Mirziyoyev instructed officials to conduct a detailed assessment of the economic efficiency of all projects, ensure the targeted use of allocated funds, introduce digital accounting and monitoring systems, and take measures to ensure a stable supply of high-quality and affordable food products to the domestic market.