Greenhouses in and around Tashkent will be allowed to operate after transitioning to a "green" status.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on introducing green technologies to greenhouse operations and ensuring their environmentally safe functioning. During the meeting, it was emphasized that greenhouses in Tashkent and its surrounding areas will be permitted to use natural gas, electricity, geothermal and solar energy, as well as secondary heat from thermal power plants.

At the presentation held on October 13, the current state of greenhouses in Tashkent and adjacent areas was first analyzed. Last year, a special commission conducted an inventory of greenhouses, helping a certain portion of them transition to eco-friendly energy sources. At the same time, some farms continue to use coal.

During the autumn and winter months, due to weak winds and temperature inversions, emissions from greenhouses can accumulate in and around the capital.

Therefore, it was proposed to introduce a special environmental regime based on green technologies for greenhouses in Tashkent and five adjacent districts.

The use of natural gas, electricity, geothermal and solar energy, as well as secondary heat from thermal power plants, will be permitted for heating. The burning of tires, plastic, bitumen, fuel oil, waste oil, and other refuse will not be allowed.

Greenhouses operating on solid fuel are invited to switch to these sources by December 1 of this year. The use of solid fuel may be permitted only for greenhouses that meet strict technical requirements, such as storing fuel in enclosed spaces, having automated boilers and efficient dust-and-gas cleaning equipment installed, providing conditions for the safe collection of ash and slag, having a backup generator, and ensuring smoke chimneys comply with minimum height standards.

From October 15 of this year to March 15 of next year, continuous environmental monitoring will be conducted in greenhouses. This will monitor the operation of dust-and-gas cleaning equipment, the volume of air emissions, and compliance with fuel type requirements. Data obtained from measuring equipment and video surveillance systems will be transmitted in real-time to the information system of the Ecology Committee. Drones will be used during monitoring, and public oversight representatives will also participate.

If it is found that dust-and-gas cleaning equipment has not been installed, emissions exceed established norms, or prohibited fuel is used, enforcement measures will be applied in accordance with established procedures. When necessary, greenhouse operations will be suspended.

Financial support measures have been developed to help greenhouse farms adapt to the new requirements. It was proposed to allocate subsidies of up to 50 million soums per hectare and preferential loans of up to 3 billion soums for a period of seven years for installing ecological and energy-saving equipment.

Provisions have also been made to ease the costs of purchasing and installing monitoring equipment. Separate proposals have been prepared to help modernize greenhouses on personal household plots. In particular, it is proposed to reduce land and property taxes by 50 percent until 2030, exempt them from turnover tax, and cover half of the electricity costs consumed by energy-saving systems.

The issue of allocating grants of up to 100 million soums to introduce green energy sources and efficient equipment for households in Tashkent and adjacent areas was also considered. Providing preferential loans of up to 300 million soums for constructing new green greenhouses and up to 150 million soums for re-equipping existing ones is envisioned.

It is planned to establish environmentally safe greenhouses for needy families in 50 neighborhoods specialized in greenhouse farming. The issue of collecting, treating, and reusing polluted drainage and filter water generated in greenhouses was also raised. For this purpose, it was proposed to launch the activities of a special operator and establish the necessary infrastructure in the Akhangaran district.

The presentation also reviewed opportunities for developing modern greenhouse farming in regions with favorable climates. A 940-hectare land plot has been allocated for the "Surkhon-Agro" free economic zone in the Sherabad district, and its master plan has been developed. It was proposed to establish greenhouses and agro-logistics facilities in the zone, including relocating greenhouses currently on bank balance sheets to this location.

In the free economic zone, a zero rate is applied to land leases for investors for five years, and a three-year grace period is granted for fees related to sewage and groundwater. Additionally, it was proposed to put land plots up for auction with a starting price of 10 percent of their normative value, and to set this figure at 1 percent for projects valued at over 10 million dollars, as well as for entrepreneurs relocating their greenhouses from Tashkent city and region.

Furthermore, the proposal to exempt zone participants from land, property, and income taxes for five years, as well as from customs duties on imported greenhouse equipment, was reviewed. It is planned to build greenhouses and agro-logistics facilities on a 400-hectare area and sell them to investors as turnkey projects. Tasks were set to direct 220 billion soums to infrastructure, 200 billion soums to project financing, and attract 100 million dollars in investments by 2027.

Officials were instructed to prepare a digital map reflecting the locations of greenhouses, energy resource sources, and supply volumes. Additionally, measures will be developed to expand opportunities for selling greenhouse products in domestic and foreign markets.