Uzbekistan’s Water Crisis Spells Debts for Farmers

In recent years, the campaign to install drip irrigation systems has reached its peak. Yes, the president promised subsidies, but the amount required is enormous. We now need 350 billion UZS [approximately $29 million], yet only 70 billion [approximately $5.8 million] have been allocated. We have hundreds of applications from farmers, but our hands are tied — where can we find the money?

At a time when saving water has become a matter of vital importance, it is no less crucial to monitor how the allocated funds are used.

Before arriving in the Amudarya district of Karakalpakstan, Ilkhom Abdullaev, director of several small firms, had already been convicted four times between 2017 and 2024 for fraud, embezzlement, and document forgery. In 2019, Abdullaev was sentenced to five years in prison, which was later reduced to a fine of 20 percent of his income.

Despite his record, Abdullaev, with backing from the Amudarya district hokimiyat, again, persuaded 14 farmers to sign contracts for water-saving systems. Between April and May 2024, he received approximately $340,000 in advance payments from Agrobank loans but delivered little or no work on the projects. The farmers were left with