Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev took part in the sixth Meeting of Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on agriculture on 12 August 2021. As a result of the event, a draft Joint Statement of the Heads of the SCO Member States on Food Security was agreed upon, and the Concept for the creation of the SCO Demonstration Base for the Exchange and Training of Agricultural Technologies was approved.

“The SCO demonstration base for the exchange and training of agricultural technologies on the basis of the Chinese Yangling demonstration zone of new high technologies in agriculture is being created in order to implement the Agreement on cooperation in the field of agriculture of the SCO member states and other existing documents on cooperation in the field of agriculture,” noted Minister Jamshid Khojaev. - The branch of the Yangling demonstration zone will be located in Uzbekistan on the territory of the Academician M. Mirzaev (Schroeder) Research Institute, as well as on the basis of the Tashkent regional AKIS Knowledge and Innovation Center. This will be the format of an agricultural park, where Chinese private companies will grow agricultural products, introduce and demonstrate technologies, and conduct practical training for local farmers. Initially, about 20 companies from China are expected to participate. "

The minister stressed that the agricultural sector is one of the main points of cooperation between the SCO member states. The demonstration base will facilitate the exchange of experience between states, the development of sectoral cooperation based on market principles, the dissemination of new high agricultural technologies and advanced knowledge in the field of sustainable development of high-tech agriculture.

Earlier, the SCO Secretary General noted that the Yangling Demonstration Industrial Zone of High-Tech Agriculture is today recognized as the national brand of China, as one of the authoritative and large-scale platforms for international exchanges and the development of new models of cooperation based on the achievements of science and practice. "

The meeting, which was held online on 12 August, was attended by the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization headed by Secretary General Vladimir Norov, FAO Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Vladimir Rakhmanin, as well as the Ministers for Agriculture of the SCO member states India, Russia, Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

According to the Joint Statement on Food Security agreed at the meeting, the member states intend to further develop:

- mutually beneficial trade in agricultural and food products, including with the help of modern information and communication technologies;

- cooperation on the organization of "green" transport corridors and SCO routes for the timely delivery of food;

- cooperation between supervisory authorities in the field of veterinary and phytosanitary safety to ensure mutual access of agricultural products.

The member states are interested in further developing the SCO’s interaction on food security with international organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Jamshid Khodjaev as the current chairman of the Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for Europe and Central Asia until 2023. stressed the importance of enhancing interaction between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and FAO. He also noted that Uzbekistan is ready to assist in further deepening the interaction of these two organizations.

The fundamental document on cooperation of the SCO countries in the field of agriculture was signed in the capital of Uzbekistan - Tashkent in June 2010.