🇺🇿Uzbekistan
To realize the project, we planted a 620-hectare plantation of Paulownia, the fastest-growing tree in the world, in Fergana, Uzbekistan (go to Paulownia - tree of future)
Why Uzbekistan?
Climate: In the climate of the Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan, Paulownia trees of commercial varieties can grow to a volume of 1 cubic meter per tree in 6 years with proper care and maintenance. This corresponds to a tree with a diameter of 40-45 cm, a height of 12-15 meters, and a developed crown.
Market price: The average market price for Paulownia logs sold "on the stump", that is, sawn logs in Europe is $400 per 1 cubic meter. In the case of production of materials such as lining, furniture board and plywood from its own forest, the sales price of 1 cubic meter increases to $1,000.
Geographic location: Uzbekistan is located in the heart of Central Asia between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. Most of Uzbekistan's territory lies within the Turan lowland, and the foothills of the Tian Shan and Gissar-Alay ranges stretch from the northeast and south. The intermontane valleys of Fergana, Zarafshan and Chirchik-Angren lie between these foothills within the borders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
The Silk Road connected the West to the East, and people from southern and northern countries passed through this land due to its central location. Today, this allows Uzbekistan to develop, import and export goods worth billions of US dollars (Scheme 5).
Moreover, Uzbekistan's economy was one of the most progressive in the USSR and was largely based on cotton cultivation. In the 1980s, cotton cultivation and cotton processing provided more than 65% of GDP and employed 40% of the workforce. At the same time, the annual cotton harvest was about 4.5 million tons. Today, Uzbekistan remains the third largest exporter of cotton in the world.
Why did we mention cotton cultivation?
This is an important point for understanding the overall economic picture of Uzbekistan. In 2023, agriculture and forestry are among the main economic activities in Uzbekistan. Its share in GDP is over 38%, and every fifth worker is employed in this sector (Figure 2).
Uzbekistan is one of the top countries for the cultivation and export of wood and forest products. Uzbekistan has huge territories that are planned for cultivation and tree planting. For comparison, in 2013, the total forest percentage in Uzbekistan was 8%, and in 2020 it was 8.4%. In the 1990s, this figure was less than 6% (Figure 3). By 2050, it is planned to plant trees on an area of more than 4,448,000 hectares.
This field is being actively developing in Uzbekistan, and Web3Eco is aimed to ensure 'greening' of the country and raising the general level of ecology.
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