Soybean Production in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan

by Sasha Osipov, Winrock International, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan lacks quality cooking oil and animal protein supplements. At the same time, farmers are seeking alternative crops that will enable them to increase profits and to break disease and insect cycles. While soybeans have been sporadically produced in this region with varying degrees of success, it has only been since the privatization of agriculture began that there is widespread and growing interest in this crop. Because soybeans offer the opportunity to improve local diets and incomes, farmers in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, near Andijan, requested Winrock volunteer assistance to help them begin producing soybeans.

In 1998, the Farmer-to-Farmer Program fielded agriculture expert Dr. Rodney Fink to provide up-to-date information on soybean production and processing. Dr. Fink is a farmer and agriculture consultant with 30 years experience in the United States and many other countries.

Dr. Fink conducted seminars at seven different privatizing agribusinesses and farms, attended by more than 350 people. He helped assess soybean growth and processing, and provided practical advice to farmers and government agronomists on soybean cultivation.

"The farmers I visited in Andijan have excellent abilities and will adapt to soybean production very readily," says Dr. Fink. "They were enthusiastic, capable, and will, in my opinion, be good soybean farmers."

In 1999, Dr. Fink returned to conduct additional training, and brought about 100 kilograms of new soybean seed varieties to plant test plots. He trained farmers and agricultural specialists in eight locations: Andijahn Tuman, Shachrihon Tuman, Yorkishlok village, Bulokboshi Tuman, Markhamat Tuman, Markhamat Sanatorium, Yorksishlok Sanatorium, Balikchi Tuman, and Izboskan Tuman.

If the farms where soybeans were planted have favorable growing results this season, they will be more than willing to proceed with additional production next year. The overall opinion is that interest and desire is high and soybean production will soon become a part of the agricultural landscape in the Fergana Valley.

The seminars also served a useful purpose in bringing Uzbek farmers, government administrators, and agricultural scientists together to discuss the future of soybean production.

"Those I worked with were responsive to the presentations and discussions were positive," said Dr. Fink. "People are willing and ready to accept soybeans and want to produce them. Since the beginning of trips to Andijan, I have seen a tremendous improvement in skills and knowledge associated with the production of soybeans."

Based on Fink’s recommendations and the strong interest in soybean production, Winrock staff in Uzbekistan also produced a brochure in Uzbek for distrubution among farmers in area.