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GENERAL STATE OF AGRICULTURE OF THE SURKHAN
OASIS IN 1960-1980
Amirkulov Mukhiddin Gulyamovich
Trainee-teacher of the Termez State University
of Engineering and Agrotechnologies
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15239197
The ancient ancestors of the Uzbek people, from ancient times, adapted to
natural conditions and created their own unique economic and cultural types.
Based on the natural and geographical conditions of the present territory of the
Surkhan Oasis, we can divide it into three agricultural zones. These are: the
mountain and foothill zone, the irrigated land zone, and the steppe-pasture zone.
Indeed, the favorable geographical location and climate of the oasis laid the
foundation for the development of agriculture, especially irrigated agriculture, in
these regions.
In the 60-80s of the 20th century, agriculture in the Surkhan oasis,
depending on the natural and geographical conditions, can be divided into 3
parts: 1) irrigated agriculture; 2) mountainous and foothill territories
specializing in dryland farming, horticulture, and viticulture; 3) desert
agriculture.
The mountainous territory of the first part constitutes a large part of the
oasis. These territories mainly include the northwestern territories of the
Baysun and Denau districts and the mountainous areas of the Sherabad,
Sariosiyo, and Uzun districts, where the population of the oasis mainly cultivated
dryland crops.
The second part of the territory of irrigated lands includes the middle and
lower reaches of the Sherabad River basin, the southeastern parts of Denau and
Sariasia, the banks of the Surkhandarya River. In the third part, in the steppe-
pasture territories: in the Guzar-Boysun steppes, in the Sherabad-Kyzyryk
steppes, in the foothills of the Babatag, the population of the oasis was mainly
engaged in dryland farming. In the 60-80s of the 20th century, dryland farming
also developed in the oasis. In 1968, a total of 20 tons of wheat and barley were
grown on the irrigated lands of the region. Of these, 8.5 thousand tons were
harvested in Boysun district, 1.8 thousand tons in Sherabad district, 7.2
thousand tons in Sariosiyo district, and 0.9 thousand tons in Shurchi district. The
development of agricultural activity in the oasis was mainly determined by
irrigation.
Therefore, the lands were also divided into lands irrigated with artificial
water and irrigated with natural rainfall.
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On rainfed lands, the population of the oasis mainly cultivated such crops as
wheat, barley, chickpeas, flax, watermelon, and melon, and from the 60s of the
20th century, such crops as potatoes, radishes, cabbage, tomatoes, and eggplants
began to be cultivated in the oasis.
During this period, like the melons of Bukhara, Khorezm, and Fergana
regions, the melons of Surkhandarya became famous for their aroma and
sweetness. Melons and watermelons from Bandixon, Istara, Gilambob, Bobotog',
and Beshqo'ton, carrots and turnips from Sherobod, Jarqo'rg'on, and Denov,
pomegranates from Dashnobod, plums and apples from Boysun, Xonjizza, and
Sangardak, pistachios from Machay, Kengtala, and Shalqon, and Oltinsoy grapes
were also sold in the markets of other cities of the republic.
Analysis of the data shows that since ancient times, livestock farming in the
Surkhan-Sherabad oasis has played an important role in the lifestyle, more
precisely, in the economic and social life of the population. Depending on the
function of the products and objects used in the economy, they were
conditionally divided into two categories: primary and secondary.
In the mountainous pastures of the Surkhan-Sherabad oasis, grasses and
other plants were abundant for grazing sheep, and this was considered the main
factor in the development of sheep breeding. Also, the fact that the population of
the oasis mainly consumed mutton, the constant need for live sheep (in the form
of bride price, as a wedding gift, in other family, seasonal events and
ceremonies) ensured the predominance of sheep breeding in livestock farming.
Until the mid-1960s, beef was not consumed at all in the village of Machay,
Boysun district. The reason is that for many years, cattle were not considered as
a type of livestock in some ethnic groups of the oasis.
In the 60s and 80s of the 20th century, a significant amount of milk was
obtained from sheep farming, except for wool, meat, and hides, in particular,
from sheep whose lambs were taken to Karakul. Also, in the 1960s-1980s, camel
breeding was especially developed in the oasis, and the population of the
Surkhan oasis gained fame for making chakmon from its wool.
By processing wool-rich leather, household items such as *sura*, *pöstin*,
and *arqamchi chilvir* were made. Wool was spun with a spindle, and fabrics
and carpets were woven on a long braid. In the oasis, products such as yogurt
(thick and liquid), cream, butter, kurut, and ayran were made from cow's and
sheep's milk. Milking and preparing dairy products were also mainly carried out
by women. They cooked the yogurt in a furnace and extracted oil. The products
were stored in special bags in caves or separate places. In summer, milk, butter,
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and yogurt products were stored in containers made from cattle, sheep, and goat
hides.
In the Surkhan-Sherabad oasis, the population mainly raised Hissar and
Isliki Karakul sheep, which were also named differently depending on their div
and rump structure. For example, capkirt is divided into tail, glass tail, and
shalpy tail types. If the Kapkirta tail breed was well-fed, its tail weight reached
30-35 kg. In the 1960s-1980s, we can see that the population of the oasis lived
mainly in rural areas. In these years, the rural population of the Surkhandarya
region was significantly higher than the urban population compared to other
regions of the republic. In particular, in 1950, the rural population of the region
constituted 84.6% of the total population, in 1970 - 84.0%, in 1979 - 80.7%, and
in 1980 - 80.6%.
In the 1960s-1980s, the main daily activity of the population of the Surkhan
oasis was the active participation in the development of new lands and the
cultivation of cotton. Beginning in 1960, rural residents were instructed to
reduce their personal plots and livestock. Instead, the state will supply products
to the population from its own warehouse.
The land and livestock belonging to the peasants were seized at the expense
of increased tax payments. As a result, the need of farmers and livestock
breeders for private property decreased, and the types of private crops grown
by the population, the number of livestock, and the number of poultry sharply
decreased. In 1960, the oasis had 133.9 thousand head of cattle, including 57.0
thousand dairy cows, 372.1 thousand Karakul sheep, 398.0 thousand Hissar
sheep, 94.7 thousand goats, 22.0 thousand pigs, 25.4 thousand horses, and 480.7
thousand poultry.
In 1965-1975, the area of grain crops increased from 52.1 thousand
hectares to 69.9 thousand hectares, including grain and corn from 1.2 thousand
hectares to 5.7 thousand hectares, and rice from 3.5 thousand hectares to 4.1
thousand hectares.
As a result, the population acquired sufficient land for growing such crops
as rice and corn, and the cultivation of rice by the population on these lands
increased significantly. A specialized rice-growing department and state farm
were also established along the Surkhan and Amu Darya rivers, where the
population mainly engaged in rice cultivation. In 1965-1966, two large rice-
growing collective farms were established in the region. Tugai forests in the
collective farms of the Jarkurgan district were developed for rice cultivation. As
a result, rice cultivation has expanded, reaching 7,000 tons across the region.
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In these years, in almost all districts, the labor of seasonal workers was
used in rice cultivation, and insufficient equipment was allocated to those
responsible for rice cultivation. In 1967, during the rice harvest, members of the
"Iskara" collective farm in the Sherabad district harvested 30 centners of rice
per hectare from 1600 hectares. In the brigades led by Toshtemir Turdiyev,
Dustmurod Kuvonov, Sergey Li, and Viktor Kim, 150 people and 15 combines
participated in the rice harvest. In the 1960s-1980s, the population of the
Surkhan oasis also achieved good results in corn cultivation. This was due to the
fact that the country's political leadership paid great attention to this type of
crop. Residents of the region tried to increase the yield of this crop several times
over.
In the report of the Secretary of the Regional Party Committee, R.S.
Ergashev, "On Measures to Further Increase Grain Production in the Collective
and State Farms of the Region" at the IX Plenum of the Regional Committee of
the Communist Party of Uzbekistan on September 27, 1967, it was noted that
corn and sorghum are a significant reserve for grain production in the region,
and corn occupies 10,000 hectares of land annually in the region. In particular,
1-1.5 thousand hectares of land are allocated for corn grain. However, he noted
that in 1965-1966, the cultivation of corn did not exceed 500 tons, and its
average yield in the region was only 11 centners, while in the Termez, Sherabad,
and Basun districts this figure was 2.5-5 centners. At that time, it was noted that
the average corn yield in the Sariosiyo district was 29.5 centners per hectare.
In
the 1960s-1970s, the average yield of corn grown by the population of the oasis
was 50-55 centners. In 1981, along with cotton growing, the region achieved
high yields in grain farming, vegetable growing, fruit growing, and viticulture. In
1981, 175 thousand tons of grain were produced in the region, including 31
thousand tons of rice and 84 thousand tons of corn. This year, the plan for grain
sales to the state will be fulfilled by 167 percent.
On average, 77 centners of corn grain, 58 centners of rice, and 37 centners
of barley and wheat were grown per hectare. The corn grain yield was 100
centners in the Lenin Yuli district and 96.7 centners in the Gagarin district. The
brigade headed by Novvot Kholmirzayeva of the "October 60th Anniversary"
state farm produced 120 centners of corn per hectare, the brigade headed by
Haydar Safarov of the "XXIV Party Congress" state farm produced 111 centners,
and the brigade headed by Shoymardan Ismatov of the "50th Anniversary of the
USSR" state farm produced 110 centners.
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In order to develop livestock farming in the oasis, the preparation of silage
from corn was carried out on irrigated lands, including 35520 tons of silage in
the Jarkurgan district in 1967.
Corn was sown on 250 hectares of land at the "Mehnat-rohat" collective
farm in the district, and 2 combines, 11 trucks, and 35 people were mobilized for
this work. At the "Lelin" collective farm, 7 cars and 25 people were involved.
Throughout the region, silage flooding was carried out at an accelerated pace. In
the table below, we can see the state of implementation of the roughage
procurement plan in the region by districts as of September 21, 1967.
In conclusion, it can be said that in the 60s and 80s of the 20th century, the
Surkhan oasis was mainly specialized in agriculture. Cotton is sown on the main
part of agricultural land. A large part of other types of crops was also delivered
to the state.
List of used literature:
1. Lenin Flag No. 190 of September 26, 1967.
2. State Archive of Surkhandarya Region, fund 45, inventory 1, document 412,
sheet 8
3. Sattarov A.U. Features of the development and location of rural settlements of
the Surkhandarya region. Geogr. sci. nom. diss... - Тошкент: ЎзМУ, 2020.
4. Tursunov S. et al. Surkhandarya in the Mirror of History. Tashkent: Shark,
2001. - P. 245.
5. E. Kabulov. Surkhan Oasis Farm. - T.: Akademnashr, 2012. P. 182.
6. Eshqurbonov S.B. Agriculture in the economic activity of the Uzbek people:
traditions and modernity (on the example of the Surkhan oasis). - T., 2023. - P.
18.
7. Lenin Flag No. 190 of September 26, 1967.
8. Lenin's banner, July 12, 1967. No 136.
9. Lenin Flag, September 27, 1967. No 191.
