Uzbekistan to expand drone use in agriculture with 50 new UAVs from China

The president also addressed the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the agricultural sector. The Ministry of Agriculture has launched a drone service center, and more than 100 UAVs are currently being used for crop monitoring and various agrotechnical tasks.

In 2026, Uzbekistan will receive an additional 50 agricultural drones from China, and two mobile UAV units will be created in each region. The maximum payload capacity of agricultural drones will be increased from 100 kg to 250 kg.

“I am pleased to see a growing number of farmers and clusters adopting digital technologies and artificial intelligence to boost yields at lower costs,” the president noted.

It is also planned to allocate $100 million to convert around 70,000 drainage and collector channels into a closed system, which will reduce cleaning costs and expand land available for cultivation. Regional governors, together with the private sector, will be required to convert 10,000 km of drainage canals, making 20,000 hectares of land suitable for planting.

Another priority will be strengthening scientific work in the agricultural sector. Uzbekistan will establish a separate Academy of Agricultural Sciences, which will oversee both fundamental and applied agricultural research.

The Institute for Advanced Training in Agriculture will train 8,000 dehkans, farmers and cluster specialists each year in the use of modern agrotechnologies. Agronomists from China, Turkey, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands will be involved in the teaching process.

A total of 500 of the country’s most advanced farmers will be selected for training abroad – 200 cotton and grain producers, 200 horticulturists and dehkans, and 100 exporters. Their travel and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed.