Uzbekistan improves the fleet of agricultural machinery By the end of 2016 Uzbekistan plans to develop 66 new types of agricultural and reclamation machinery, transportation means and manufacturing machinery for production and reprocessing of agricultural goods.

According to experts, leasing method is one of the main mechanisms to achieve this objective. Today, the government provides preferential conditions, including 15% upfront payment for a leased object to all farms, machine and tractor parks, territorial joint-stock companies of Selhozkhimiya (Agricultural Chemistry) and its structural subdivisions.

Farms and machine-tractor parks of Karakalpakstan and Khorazm could take equipment on lease for 10 years. For other parks and territorial joint-stock companies of Selhozkhimiya this period is seven years. The annual percentage lease cannot exceed 50% of Uzbekistan Central Bank’s refinancing rate.

Currently, Uzselhozmashlizing is the leading company in the country that provides agricultural machinery on lease. There are 13 regional offices and one subsidiary company in regional centers of the country and in Karakalpakstan.

During 2000-2011, the company provided leasing services to more than 29 thousand farms and leased more than 41,700 units of agricultural machinery for a total of 679.4 billion sums (official exchange rate $1=1985,55 UZS). In 2012, the company leased equipment totaling over $171.7 billion sums, which is 29% more than it did last year. In particular, the company worked to supply 40 different types of agricultural machinery and delivered 5,000 units of them. The agricultural sector of the country obtained for the first time 7 new technologies: plows EurOpal; planker Variopack; rotary harrow Zirkon; harvesters \"Jaguar\" and \"MX-1,8\"; sprayers Kariolla; and motorized cart Eldosh-150.

In 2013, the company plans to increase the provision of leasing services to agricultural producers by 20%. In this case, it is planned to increase leasing of the most popular machines - agricultural tractors, harvesters and cotton harvesters.

If we compare Uzselhozmashlizing’s performance in 2012 and 5 years earlier, we will see evident growth. If in 2008 we leased agricultural machines and technologies on 48.9 billion of sums, this year however, the number is expected to be 3.5 times bigger. (Source: Uzbekistan Today newspaper)