President — gubernators: "The real owners of grain are farmers and clusters"

Shavkat Mirziyoyev categorically forbade the governors to take grain from farmers."The governors need to understand one thing. The real owners of grain are farmers and clusters," he stressed. In addition, interregional restrictions on the sale of wheat through the exchange are being lifted.
On May 11, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on measures to improve the effectiveness of transformational processes at bakery enterprises, his press secretary Sherzod Asadov reports.

At the event, the head of state announced that from June 1, the state will start buying grain at market prices. Opportunities will be created for farmers and clusters so that they can sell their grain on the stock exchange. The purchase price of grain will increase from 1.55 million to 3 million soums. At the same time, based on the average prices formed on the stock exchange in July-August, farmers will be paid a positive difference.

"All khokims should clearly understand one thing. Why are we putting a farmer on the stock exchange? If a farmer goes to the stock exchange and sells his grain on his own, his income will increase and he will be satisfied with the result of his labor. In the future, we will receive grain purchased for the state reserve only through the exchange," the president said.

The responsible persons were instructed to register farmers and wheat-growing clusters on the exchange within two weeks, as well as to organize their training with the involvement of brokers.

At the same time, farmers will be exempt from exchange payments for the wheat harvest of 2022.

This year, 7.6 trillion soums will be allocated for the grain harvest. It is planned to introduce daily monitoring "to ensure the full, fair and transparent operation of the new system, timely and complete delivery of each bag to farmers and clusters, to prevent price increases and shortages."

To do this, a Republican headquarters will be created under the leadership of Prosecutor General Nigmatulla Yuldashev. Regional headquarters will be headed by khokims and regional prosecutors.

The meeting identified measures to reduce the number of grain reception points and their privatization from next year.

"The real owners of grain are farmers and clusters," the head of state said. — From now on, it is strictly prohibited to withdraw grain from farmers under the pretext of non—fulfillment of the plan in the area, the need for feed for livestock, poultry and fish farming," the president stressed.

In addition, restrictions on the movement of grain sold through the exchange between regions are lifted. "Please, if the enterprise of the region won on the stock exchange, it will be able to pick up grain without hindrance," he said.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the Prosecutor General, prosecutors of regions, districts and cities to take the case under personal control and take strict measures against managers who cause dissatisfaction with farmers.

In August 2021, the Ministry of Justice, as part of the "Farmer's Madad" campaign, studied the most frequent cases of violations of farmers' interests. Among them are errors in contracts between farmers and procurement organizations, clusters and suppliers who owe farms over 180 billion soums and more.

In past years, reports have been published online that local authorities are taking away surplus grain from farmers.