KoreaToday Countryside Undergoes Transformation

In his address at a meeting to mark the 16th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Uzbekistan Dec. 16, 2008, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov defined the most important tasks for 2009.

As the majority of population ― around 50 percent ― lives in rural areas, further development of rural infrastructure is required in order to enhance the quality of life. Examples of development include supplying natural gas, drinking water and electricity, and improving roads, transport and communication services.

Therefore, in order to give strong impetus to the work accomplished in this direction, President Karimov suggested declaring 2009 as the "Year of Development and Improvement of the Countryside."

Based on his proposal, the state program has been elaborated.

The program contains such important tasks as the development of industry and construction in rural areas and the creation of compact processing enterprises with modern equipment and technologies.

The implementation of these measures is aimed at providing the rural youth population with jobs and raising the income and well being of residents.

Special attention has been paid to the issues of deepening reforms in the agricultural sector ― providing additional support to farms, improving their production, and providing them with new incentives and preferences.

In short, the government will pay due attention to the protection of the new ownership relations that are being shaped in the countryside as well as the interests of the middle class - owners, entrepreneurs and businesspeople.

The improvement of healthcare and raising the quality of the education system also remain focal points for the program.

During the first half of 2009, a huge number of projects have been implemented in the country.

Among them, a modern medical and diagnostics clinic was put into operation in the Yangibazar residential area in the Yukorichirchik district center of Tashkent Province.

The newly built clinic has dentist, massage and physiotherapy rooms, acupuncture and ultrasonic diagnostics, as well as services for the disabled.

Special attention is being paid to improving makhallas (local neighborhood community areas) and villages in Ferghana Province, and to raising the living standards of the rural population.

For example, before independence, only 15.7 percent of villages in the Uzbekiston district were supplied with gas.

For over the past period, 87 settlements have been provided with access to pipeline supplies of natural gas.

For that, a new gas pipeline, with an extension of 20 kilometers, was laid there. The new makhallas were provided with natural gas, drinking water and electric power.

The work also improved the rural infrastructure in the Besharik district of same province.

The makhallas have obtained an even more beautiful look and the number of citizen gatherings has been on the rise.

For over the last years, 25 citizens' gathering facilities ("guzar" in the Uzbek language) that include the dining rooms, chaykhanas ("teahouses"), barber shops and other services have been commissioned at the villages and makhallas.

The Yakkatut is one of the most notable villages in the district.

It is famous for its talented handicraftsmen, entrepreneurs and gardeners.

For over recent years, the village has become even more beautiful.

There, consumer services stations, as well as a professional college, sports complex and new market have been built. These days the locals are engaged in the betterment of the territory.

The announcement of 2009 as the Year of Development and Improvement of the Countryside initiated by President Karimov has also inspired citizens of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, which is considered as an environmental decease zone because of the evaporating of the Aral Sea.

In this context, the scale of work in the area adjacent to the sea is going to be extended. Industries will be commissioned in the countryside, developing service stations and establishing processing enterprises, a measure which would introduce modern technologies, employ rural citizens, and raise living standards.

The tangible work is now being carried out to increase the wellbeing of citizens in the Oltinkul Village in Kungrad District.

The cultural and welfare facilities and medical care are well established there.

The service stations for refueling and technical maintenance of automobiles, mills, grocery stores and market in the center of villages are functioning, as well.

Recently, the Kungirot canvas (tarpaulin) factory was launched in the village.

As a result, 125 graduates of the Kungrad Professional College of Agriculture have been employed.

The number of entrepreneurs busied in farming is also expanding in Uzbekistan.

Thanks to greenhouse-based practices, they make up one of the links in the supply chain, which provides citizens with agricultural products.

The group of entrepreneurs at the Semurg farm in the Pakhtakor District of Jizzakh Province has launched production of four types of vegetable oil.

The local farmers built the plant corps and installed the modern equipment on the territory of the formerly bankrupt organization in the district.

This year, the farmers are going to sow the oil-yielding crops in an area of about 300 hectares of land, and also take the raw for processing from other farms.

The number of small and private enterprises, which produce export-oriented goods, is also on the rise in the rural area.

For instance, the Ursa-Minor Joint-Stock Company, founded with participation of Turkish partners, has been commissioned in the city of Gulistan, the administrative capital town of Syrdarya Province.

The foreign investors have invested $1.6 million.

The enterprise with the capacity to process and dry of up to 30 tons of fruits daily has so far employed 60 local people.

The mini-factory that produces up to 35,000 burnt bricks per day was launched in Yakkabogh District in Kashkadarya Province. The factory employs 150 workers and is supplied with modern technology, and will produce construction materials from local raw materials.

For its raw and energy-saving features, as well as its efficiency the project has been worthily assessed by experts.

At the moment, taking into account the high demand among citizens in construction materials, 34 enterprises specialized in such production are operating in the province.

The newly established Navbahor Textile Limited Liability Company was put into operation at the Shurtepa Village of Navbahor district in Namangan Province.

This cotton yarn producing company was established jointly with Turkish entrepreneurs and is able to process 6,300 tons of cotton fiber per year.

The joint venture has employed 80 young people.

By launching its full power capacity, the company will be able to create about 80 more jobs. In near future the company is planning to build a weaving factory and increase the number of jobs.

Considerable work is now underway in line with the nation-wide program for development of school education.

The number of modern educational establishments promoting the introduction of the newest pedagogical technologies, is now on the rise in Uzbekistan.

One such facility is a general education school in the city of Jizzakh. The heating and water supply installations have also been renewed at the school. At the moment, over 1,600 pupils are attending the school.

A new modern sports complex was put into operation at the Dekhkanabad District of Kashkadarya Province.

The recent construction of the railway line Tashguzar-Baysun-Kumkurgan has resulted in economic and social changes in the district.

As a result of consistent work being carried out in Uzbekistan to raise the status of women in society and comprehensively support them and protect their rights and interests, they are becoming more active in industries, business practices and other areas.

For example, the Ipoteka-bank Joint-Stock Credit Bank accomplishes effective work in this direction.

In 2008, the bank allotted loans worth 104.5 billion Uzbek soums for female entrepreneurs busied in small business.

Special attention is now being paid to financially support the female entrepreneurs. By now, the credits were allotted to about 9,000 female entrepreneurs nationwide.

With a goal of creating new jobs, the women, planning to run businesses, have received the soft loans worth almost 13.5 billion.

Those means have been channeled to the spheres of production and industries, commerce and services that the women are known to have been mostly busied at.

The number of female entrepreneurs who run their business thanks to loans allotted by the Ipoteka-bank is ever on the rise.

This promotes the further growth and prosperity of the Uzbek people and serves for creating more jobs.

A vivid example to this is the fact that in 2008, thanks to the Bank, over 1000 jobseekers were employed.

According to the program, in the Year of Development and Improvement of Countryside, the scale of such projects is expected to be extended nationwide.