Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 October, a press tour for journalists of various media organized by the Silverleafe was held in Pakhtakor district of Jizzakh region.

In 2018, an Uzbek-American joint venture LLC Silverleafe was formed in Jizzakh region, which was tasked with creating a completely new innovative model of a mechanized agricultural cluster in Uzbekistan.

The joint venture Silverleafe has set itself the following primary tasks:

- to focus on the modernization of agribusiness and related industries by attracting and adapting innovative Western technologies for the region that meet the requirements of the international market;

- to integrate the local population and specialists into the modernization process through training and practical training;

- to increase the level of indemnity, wages and, accordingly, the standard of living of employees taking part in the project, by acquiring technical knowledge and principles of international management;

- to contribute to the saturation of the domestic market with high-quality, competitive products with its parallel introduction to the international market, primarily in Western Europe and the USA;

- to promote the accelerated development of social and educational programs, as well as active interaction between the United States and Uzbekistan in the practical implementation of new humanitarian projects in the field of education, medicine and sports.

At the moment, there are several main directions in Silverleafe, about each of which we will tell in more detail.

COTTON INDUSTRY

Growing and picking cotton is our flagship business. The Silverleafe model agrocluster currently has an area of 2,000 hectares.

For two years, Silverleafe has conducted research with the participation of specialists from the University of Mississippi and various scientific institutions of Uzbekistan in the field of environmental conservation and water conservation, soil science, cotton seed processing, the introduction of biostimulants and plant protection.

To obtain high quality products and eliminate the use of manual labor, we use the latest generation John Deere mechanized equipment. A team of Uzbek specialists and workers in the agricultural sector from Jizzak and the neighboring village of Mingchinar, who used to work in the fields that were transferred to the JV’s balance, are currently trained and are our employees. They now operate machinery with state-of-the-art navigation technology that controls all stages of cotton production. In addition, we are the only industrial company that employs women among the cotton picking operators.

The new technology of pulsation irrigation PULSARTM is a water-saving system that conserves, according to local experts, up to 40% of water resources. Cooperation with the aviation company HUMO Air helps to pollinate and cultivate fields more efficiently and on time. Silverleafe creates a balanced ecosystem based on state-of-the-art technology that has been tested over decades in the United States.

GROWING AND PRODUCING CORN

To create additional jobs, mainly for women, we allocated 42 hectares of land for the cultivation of sweet corn and popcorn, and also developed a system for the manufacture and individual packaging of each cob of sweet corn in a vacuum. In the near future, we plan to start supplying our corn to the largest retail outlets in the country.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

In addition to its direct tasks, Silverleafe takes an active part in the development of humanitarian programs. So, in 2018, we initiated negotiations between the largest research center for oncological diseases in children, St. Jude, located in Memphis, Tennessee and the Uzbek Ministry of Health. An important fact is that due to the lack of statistics and initial data, back in 2018 all of Central Asia was in the penultimate place in the list of regions for potential cooperation with this research center. But after lengthy negotiations between Silverleafe President Dan Patterson and Dr. Rodriguez-Galindo, the St. Jude made her first visit to Uzbekistan in May 2019. Central Asia now ranks first in the list of St. Jude for the development of research and assistance in the fight against cancer in children.

In October 2019, Silverleafe became a co-sponsor of the largest charity event in Uzbekistan - the Charity Ball at Hyatt Regency Tashkent. All funds raised from ticket sales and the event’s auction were donated to the Ezgu Amal Foundation.

MAHALLA "MINGCHINAR"

On a daily basis, the management of the company spends a lot of time monitoring the living conditions of people who work in the cluster and live in the neighborhood in the Mingchinar mahalla. One of the fundamental points that we have focused on is the constant supply of clean drinking water for people. On the road near our base, we have installed a water intake station with a constant supply of water for everyone.

WOMEN’S SOGDIANA FOOTBALL CLUB

In July 2020, Silverleafe became the general sponsor of the Jizzakh women’s football team Sogdiana, which unites 20 young and energetic girls from all regions of Uzbekistan.

According to our philosophy, we not only create comfortable conditions for the team to train and improve, but also form a new fundraising model to attract additional sponsors from foreign companies.

COTTON HONEY PRODUCTION

Since this year, Silverleafe has started a close collaboration with LUCKY HONEY. Everyone knows that the highest quality honey can be obtained from bees that pollinate in cotton fields. In addition, bees also act as natural “pest fighters”, they do not leave them enough sweet nectar to feed and reproduce. In July of this year, Andrey Yun and Andrey Korolev, the owners of the company, installed more than 1950 bee colonies in the fields of Silverleafe. By combining modern technology and a highly sustainable approach to the cultivation of our fields with fresh ideas from honey producers, we strive to create the best product under a joint brand that will be sold on the local market and abroad.

THE PAVLONIA TREE - ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY FUEL AND CREATION OF NEW JOBS

One of the main goals of Silverleafe is job creation. Together with new technologies in the cotton industry, we brought with us an absolutely unique variety of Paulownia tree, which the company is going to grow on an industrial scale in the very near future.

Paulownia is widely used in the countries of Southeast Asia and Australia. This tree variety is the fastest growing tree in the world. In addition to the fact that wood absorbs a large amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, paulownia is also widely used in the furniture industry and as a biofuel.

At the moment, the Mingchinar mahalla school is heated with coal during the cold season, which emits a large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. At Silverleafe, through the cultivation of paulownia, we strive to educate people in new technologies and create a cleaner way for them to create comfortable living conditions.

The main goal of Silvreleafe is to create positive change, increase interest in innovative opportunities, adapt and introduce new technologies. And in the aggregate - to promote innovative reforms, break old stereotypes and progressively build the authority and image of Uzbekistan as a successful country with an attractive climate for successful participation in the development of the world community.