USMAT, October 6. /Dunyo IA/.  In the Bakhmal District of the Jizzakh Region, the expansion of saffron plantations under the BMB ZA’FARON project, implemented with the participation of Italian partners, continues, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Within the framework of the next stage, the area of the plantations has been increased from 820 to 900 hectares.

Project is being implemented jointly with the Italian company FIN.OPERA SRL with the participation of credit funds from “Uzpromstroybank”. Its total cost amounts to 120 million euros, of which 70 million euros are foreign direct investments. To date, 91.7 million euros have been utilized.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BMB HOLDING Bekzod Mamatkulov, noted in an interview with a Dunyo IA correspondent that one of the key results of the project was the formation of its own domestic base of planting material.

“Initially, we imported the bulbs and adapted them to local conditions. Today, we are already utilizing bulbs grown directly in Uzbekistan. This allows us to completely phase out imports and transition to exporting not only saffron but also the planting material itself”, he stated.

According to him, the 900-hectare plantation established in the Bakhmal District is one of the largest contiguous plantations in the world. Moving forward, the company plans to increase the total area of the plantations to 2,000 hectares.

Italian partner and investor of BMB HOLDING, President of HT HOLDING Roberto Tucci, emphasized that the cooperation has enabled the creation of a fully localized production cycle.

“We started with the import of bulbs. Today, only locally produced bulbs are used in Uzbekistan. From the soil and the bulb to the saffron flower and the finished product - everything is produced in Uzbekistan”, he noted.

According to Roberto Tucci, the further expansion of the plantations from 900 to 2,000 hectares will be carried out using exclusively Uzbek bulbs. He also expressed confidence in the implementation of new joint projects that will contribute to job creation and the development of the Jizzakh Region.

Today, Uzbek saffron and more than 20 types of products based on it are exported under the “ORO ROSSO Milano” brand to Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, France, the United States, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia and other countries. In 2025, the export volume amounted to 10.2 million euros, and by the end of 2026, it is planned to increase this figure to 12 million euros.

Product holds the USDA Organic certificate, as well as the necessary permits for export to the Chinese market. Within the framework of the project, around 30,000 local residents are provided with seasonal employment, and more than 500 people have permanent jobs.

In accordance with the set tasks, the area of saffron plantations is planned to be increased to 2,000 hectares by 2027. The expansion of production using local bulbs will allow for a higher level of localization, reduce dependence on imported planting material, and strengthen the export potential of the industry.