South Korea expands agricultural technology cooperation with Uzbekistan

The Rural Development Administration of South Korea and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan signed an agreement in Seoul to expand specialist training in farming technologies.

This move follows a series of cooperation documents aimed at modernizing Uzbek agriculture through Korean equipment and expertise. The two countries are working together to improve rice cultivation, livestock breeding, and year-round fruit production. The Rural Development Administration has already trained 116 Uzbek specialists in areas such as horticulture and livestock farming.

In the rice sector, the use of Korean transplanters has reduced labor requirements by 70% and increased productivity by up to 52%. To further these goals, Uzbekistan plans to expand high-quality rice seed production from 83 hectares in 2025 to 200 hectares by 2027. The government also provided subsidies to cover 20% of the cost for new transplanting equipment and seeders. In the dairy sector, the Rural Development Administration managed a program where 30 cows received Korean embryos.

These cows achieved a 50% pregnancy rate, which is higher than the 30% rate typically seen with other imported embryos. Additionally, the countries are developing a $3.7 million project to build an agricultural technology center in the Tashkent region for year-round strawberry cultivation. This center includes an experimental greenhouse with automated controls. Researchers from the Korea Rural Economic Institute also proposed greenhouse models for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

These recommendations account for local conditions, such as cold mountain winters in Kyrgyzstan and unreliable electricity in Tajikistan. While the greenhouse projects in Uzbekistan are underway, the expansion into neighboring countries remains a recommendation for the future.