ТАSHKENT, June 10. /Dunyo IA/. Today, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting to discuss measures to comprehensively develop districts in Samarkand region and improve the living standards of the population in remote and hard-to-reach areas, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the press service of the Head of our State, following the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Samarkand region in December last year, important measures were identified for the region’s socio-economic development in 2026, with an additional USD 100 million allocated for this purpose. During his visit to Narpay district in March this year, President instructed that remote and hard-to-reach areas of the region be developed based on individual approaches.

At the meeting, the implementation of these instructions was reviewed using the example of the districts of Bulungur, Narpay, Oqdaryo, Pakhtachi, Koshrabad and Kattakurgan, as well as the city of Kattakurgan.

Although population density is high in remote areas, there are not enough high-income jobs. Narpay, Koshrabad, Pakhtachi, and Kattakurgan districts, as well as the city of Kattakurgan, account for only 10 percent of the region’s industrial production. At the same time, unemployment and poverty levels in Narpay, Pakhtachi, and Pastdargom districts, as well as the city of Kattakurgan, remain higher than in other districts of the region.

In this regard, taking into account the potential of each district, it was proposed to develop these territories by specializing in specific areas. In particular, Bulungur, Koshrabad, Pakhtachi, and Kattakurgan districts will be developed as centers of agriculture, livestock farming, and horticulture. In Bulungur, a breeding farm with an annual capacity of 100,000 head is planned, using USD 50 million in funds. In Koshrabad and Oqdaryo districts, enterprises for raising breeding chicks with a production capacity of 800,000 head per year are planned to be commissioned for USD 20 million.

Narpay district and the city of Kattakurgan will become growth points for industry and services. In particular, an industrial zone will be created on 100 hectares in Narpay district, where projects to produce high-value-added goods will be launched. The total volume of investments will amount to USD 500 million. It is planned to involve 10 major Japanese companies in this process.

Oqdaryo district will focus on developing as a center for poultry farming, textile production, and agricultural processing.

At the meeting, projects were presented to reduce unemployment and poverty by 3 and 2 percent, respectively, in Narpay, Pakhtachi and Pastdargom districts and the city of Kattakurgan, to increase exports by 20 percent in Ishtikhan, Narpay, Nurabad, Pakhtachi, Koshrabad and Kattakurgan districts, and to double the volume of services and industrial production in Bulungur, Narpay, Nurabad, Payariq, Pakhtachi, Koshrabad and Kattakurgan districts and the city of Kattakurgan.

Special attention was given to expanding the tourism potential of Samarkand region.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of foreign tourists visiting the country has increased by 27.3 percent, reaching 5.4 million. Uzbekistan has set ambitious goals to bring the number of foreign tourists to 20 million and the export volume of tourism services to USD 10 billion. It was emphasized that, to this end, it is necessary to expand the network of tourist routes and service facilities in the regions that can increase the length of tourists’ stay.

To this end, an initiative was supported to transform 13 streets in the historical center of Samarkand into pedestrian zones and to create new tourism and service facilities.

It was also proposed to expand the territory of the Okhalik – Okbuyro – Mironkul tourist and recreational zone. Issues related to improving the area along the Shaar collector canal, which runs opposite the Imam Maturidi Memorial Complex, were also considered.

In the city of Samarkand, Nurabad and Samarkand districts, through the implementation of these measures, the task has been set to increase the number of hotels to 850, the room capacity to 20,000 places, and the volume of tourism services to USD 750 million.

At the meeting, it was emphasized that creating infrastructure for comfortable living for the population is one of the most important tasks. To this end, it was proposed to allocate 1.2 trillion UZS for the construction of social facilities, the improvement of roads, water supply and sewerage networks, electricity supply, the implementation of service and renovation projects, and the provision of infrastructure for industrial projects.

In Samarkand, as part of the renovation program, instructions were issued to approve, within one month, a master plan to transform the Kimyogarlar settlement into a residential area comfortable for the population. The task was to expand the territory of the New Uzbekistan residential area under construction in Bulungur district and, by the end of the year, create sports, cultural, music, and art facilities on vacant land plots and buildings near the railway in the city of Samarkand.

In addition, the establishment of a fund for the construction and repair of social facilities under the regional hokimiyat was approved. It was decided that funds saved as part of the implementation of socio-economic development programs in Samarkand region would be directed to this fund.

At the meeting, reports from responsible officials were heard. The Head of State gave specific instructions to fully utilize existing opportunities in each district of the Samarkand region, create new jobs, increase household incomes, and reduce the economic gap between territories.