Measures for the development of districts of the Samarkand region based on specialization were considered

On June 10, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on measures for the comprehensive development of districts in the Samarkand region and improving living standards in remote and hard-to-reach areas, the press service of the head of our state reports.

Following the head of state’s visit to the Samarkand region last December, important measures for the region’s socioeconomic development through 2026 were identified, with an additional $100 million allocated. During his visit to the Narpay district in March of this year, the President set the goal of developing remote and hard-to-reach areas of the region using specific approaches.

At the meeting, the implementation of these instructions was reviewed using the Bulungur, Narpay, Akdarya, Pakhtachi, Koshrabad, and Kattakurgan districts, as well as the city of Kattakurgan, as examples.

Although the population density in remote areas is high, there is a shortage of high-income jobs there. The Narpay, Koshrabad, Pakhtachi, and Kattakurgan districts and the city of Kattakurgan account for only 10 percent of the region’s industrial output. Meanwhile, unemployment and poverty rates in the Narpay, Pakhtachi, and Pastdargom districts and the city of Kattakurgan remain higher than in other districts of the region.

Therefore, taking into account the potential of each district, it is proposed to develop these areas based on specialization in specific areas. Specifically, the Bulungur, Koshrabad, Pakhtachi, and Kattakurgan districts will be developed as centers of agriculture, livestock farming, and horticulture. In Bulungur, $50 million is planned to establish a breeding farm with an annual capacity of 100,000 heads. In the Koshrabad and Akdarya districts, $20 million is planned to launch breeding chicken facilities with an annual capacity of 800,000 heads.

The Narpaysky District and the city of Kattakurgan will become growth hubs for industry and services. Specifically, an industrial zone will be created in the Narpaysky District on an area of ​​100 hectares, where projects for the production of high-value-added products will be developed. The total investment will amount to $500 million. Ten major Japanese companies are planned to be involved in this process.

The Akdarya District will be developed as an area specializing in poultry farming, textiles, and agricultural processing.

Projects to reduce unemployment and poverty to 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively, in the Narpay, Pakhtachi, and Pastdargom districts and the city of Kattakurgan were presented at the meeting; to increase exports by 20 percent in the Ishtykhan, Narpay, Nurabad, Pakhtachi, Koshrabad, and Kattakurgan districts; and to double the volume of services and industrial production in the Bulungur, Narpay, Nurabad, Payaryk, Pakhtachi, Koshrabad, and Kattakurgan districts and the city of Kattakurgan.

Particular attention was paid to further expanding the tourism potential of the Samarkand region.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of foreign tourists visiting our country has increased by 27.3 percent, reaching 5.4 million. Uzbekistan has set ambitious goals of increasing the number of foreign tourists to 20 million and tourism exports to $10 billion. It was emphasized that this requires expanding the network of tourist routes and service facilities in the regions to increase the length of tourists’ stays.

To this end, support was given to the initiative to transform 13 streets in the historic center of Samarkand into pedestrian zones, as well as to create new tourist and service facilities.

It was also proposed to expand the Okhalik-Okbuiro-Mironkul tourist and recreational zone. Improvements to the area along the Shaar collector, which runs opposite the Imam Maturidi Memorial Complex, were also discussed.

In the city of Samarkand and the Nurabad and Samarkand districts, through the implementation of these measures, the goal was set to increase the number of hotels to 850, the room capacity to 20,000, and the volume of tourist services to $750 million.

At the meeting, it was emphasized that creating infrastructure for comfortable living is a crucial task. To this end, it is proposed to allocate 1.2 trillion soums for the construction of social facilities, improvement of roads, water and sewer networks, and electricity supply, the implementation of service and renovation projects, and the provision of infrastructure for industrial projects.

In Samarkand, as part of the renovation program, a master plan for the transformation of the Kimyogarlar settlement into a comfortable residential area has been mandated to be approved within one month. The goal has been set to expand the territory of the Yangi Uzbekiston residential area currently under construction in the Bulungur district, and to create sports, cultural, music, and art facilities on the site of vacant land and buildings located near the Samarkand railway by the end of the year.

In addition, the creation of a fund for the construction and renovation of social facilities under the regional khokimiyat was approved. It was decided to channel savings from the implementation of socio-economic development programs in the Samarkand region into this fund.

At the meeting, reports were presented by responsible officials. The head of state gave specific instructions on fully utilizing the existing capabilities of each district of the Samarkand region, creating new jobs, increasing incomes, and reducing economic disparities between regions.