The article shows the quality and safety of food products in the Republic of Uzbekistan, information is provided on measures to prevent the current problem of food shortages and the solution to the food problem involves systematic work.
Keywords: food security, agriculture, processing, storage conditions, export and import potential.
Food security is one of the most pressing challenges facing countries around the world. As the human population grows and living conditions improve, the demand for food is also increasing. Today, we are witnessing that it is becoming increasingly difficult to increase human immunity with natural foods and herbs, restore and strengthen human health, and meet the demand for quality food in a situation with air pollution and climate change, especially in today's pandemic. As the demand for food increases day by day, it leads to an increase in unfit for consumption (low quality) and GMO products. The United Nations also says that today is the time to radically change the approach to food production and distribution. Ideally, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide food for all and provide a source of income for people, as in the brochure. Moreover, in this case, both agriculture will be developed in the interests of the people, and measures to protect the environment will be implemented.
A number of negative factors are being contributed such as indifference to nature, growing anthropogenic impacts on it, waste, growing food inequality between advanced and developing countries, and climate change. Our resources, freshwater, oceans, forests, and biodiversity are declining rapidly, and soil fertility and soil degradation are declining due to improper and excessive use of pesticides.
According to the United Nations, more than 815 million people are currently starving, and this number is expected to reach 2 billion by 2050. The fact that 12.9 % of them live in developing countries is a clear confirmation of this. It is unfortunate that 45 % of deaths among children under the age of five are due to malnutrition. Today, 3.1 children die every year as a result. It is estimated that one in four children on the planet is underweight. 66 million school-age children boys and girls are involuntarily hungry for lessons and 23 million of them live in Africa.
Another aspect of the issue is that agriculture is the largest employer in the world. Today, 40 percent of the world's population makes a living through this industry. It is a major source of income and employment for families in poor villages. In developing countries, five million small farms provide 80 percent of the food supply. Therefore, investment in this area will increase the country's capacity to supply food to local and foreign markets, as well as to ensure food security.
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 1.3 billion tons of food is dumped worldwide each year. In a sense, we are contributing to this through the extravagance of our weddings. It is no coincidence that large-scale work is being done to reduce such measures. In order to eliminate such a waste of resources, it would be expedient to pay more attention to processing, first of all, to improve the conditions of their storage.
According to the organization's statistics, the world produces about four billion tons of food a year, which, if used wisely and distributed, would reach the entire population of the planet. Prices in world food markets are rising due to factors such as excessive luxury and waste. The global financial and economic crisis of the last decade, and especially the pandemic in recent years, have exacerbated the problem, given the urgency and lameness of the sector.
When will the government's food security policy be effective? The answer is when the levels of production and imports are rationally balanced, guaranteed opportunities are created for the population, pragmatic international cooperation is developed, and periodically renewed food stocks are created. In short, all work will be effective only if it is carried out systematically. Therefore, the issue of food security is a guarantee of independence, socio-economic and political stability of Uzbekistan, as well as all other countries.
Much attention has been paid to this issue during the years of independence. It dates back to 1989, at the initiative of our first President, during the former Soviet era, when many families were given plots of land to provide social protection to the rural population, increase their incomes and increase food production. These far-sighted efforts were prompted by the Presidential Decree of January 11, 1991 «On additional measures for the further development of personal farms of collective farmers, workers of state farms and other citizens living in rural areas». This historical document provides for the registration of land plots allocated before September 1991, re-registration of all land plots allocated in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the regions in 1989–1990, the transfer of unused land to needy families, social justice in the allocation of land plots. Priorities such as strict control have been identified.
The problem of food shortages in our country has not lost its relevance. At the same time, the demand for food is growing, and per capita consumption is growing as the population grows. In recent years, the approach to ensuring food security, improving the quality of agricultural products and export potential in our country has completely changed and has become a priority of state policy.
It is known that agriculture is the leading sector of the economy in Uzbekistan. It employs 3.6 million people, or 27 percent of the economy. The share of the sector in GDP is 32 %, while the land used in the sector covers 45 % of the country's territory. It is noteworthy that more than 180 types of agricultural and food products are currently exported to more than 80 countries. Another noteworthy aspect is the introduction of a cluster approach to agricultural production, which is gaining momentum. This is evidenced by the fact that 62 % of agricultural land is covered by cotton and textiles, 8 % by livestock and 7.5 % by fruits and vegetables.
In this regard, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated January 16, 2018 «On measures to further ensure food security of the country» and the currently developing Strategy for Agricultural Development of Uzbekistan for 2020–2030 are relevant in this regard. As of 2018, the share of malnourished people in Uzbekistan is 6.3 %. The priority is to reduce this share to 5 percent by 2021, to 3 percent by 2025, and to zero by 2030. As an expert, we would like to suggest the following to ensure food security in Uzbekistan:
— further strengthening of legislation aimed at ensuring the efficient and effective use of land and water resources in agriculture, achieving a high share of food products in agricultural production;
— improving the water use system to produce the required amount of agricultural food.
Coverage of water shortages, the organization of drip irrigation on irrigated lands is costly, but the prevention of water shortages through drip irrigation, a certain reduction in the amount of mineral fertilizers, the accumulation of excess pesticides in the soil and most importantly, reduce the cost of food products. On this subject, the implementation of effective methods of storage of fresh and processed food is a requirement of the time.
We have a number of tasks to perform in this regard. Introduce nutrition standards and norms (including the availability of micronutrients and essential nutrients, control of harmful substances, various additives, dyes, flavorings, emulsifiers, preparation, transportation technologies), as well as a mechanism for controlling the quality of food further development is needed. Dissemination of information on healthy eating in order to improve the nutrition model of the population, including the active involvement of medical institutions in this regard.
As the President said, “Strengthening the health of our people, deciding on a healthy lifestyle is a vital issue for us. I repeat, if we ensure peace and health, we will achieve everything else. The goal of agricultural reform is to provide food security and increase the well-being of the people while providing economic benefits. We must never forget that”.
References:
1. Flaumenbaum B. L. et al. Prevent crystalline deposition in concentrated juice. Food industry. -1989 y. № 11. — С. 50–51.
