OREANDA-NEWS. On 07 August 2008 was announced, that President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov gave the welcoming address to participants of Turkmenagro-2008 International Exhibition and Conference.

Congratulating on opening the international exhibition and conference focused on development of agriculture, agro-industrial complex and agricultural science the Turkmen leader says in particular, “I believe that the international exhibition and conference held in the ancient and hospitable Turkmen land along with demonstration of Turkmenistan’s achievements in agricultural development will promote widely applying the best international practice in our country and eventually lead to the positive results of the reforms we implement in farming industry and to increase the fertility of lands.

“Today we have undertaken the task to raise the standards of life in Turkmenistan up to those in the developed countries and are fulfilling it through reforming fundamentally all spheres of the life of the country. The special role in coping with the important and large-scale tasks, achieving the abundance of food products is assigned to the country’s agroindustrial complex. XX Halk Maslakhaty dedicated to the profound reforms in the country’s agricultural sector took the crucial decisions, specified the key approaches to improvement of the production and economic relations and outlined the ways of creating the conditions for increasing the fertility of lands and reaping rich harvests.

“To ensure the abundance of food products is our ultimate goal and we have all opportunities to do it. There are a lot of fertile lands in Turkmenistan; we have the rivers and lakes, large water storage reservoirs, up-to-date equipment produced by the world’s leading manufacturers. Under our climatic conditions to reap two or even three harvests on a field is possible, and we have the real masters of rich harvests that is within their depth.

“The history shows that from ancient times the Turkmen people have been practising crop farming and cattle raising. Visit any part of our country and monuments you will see the extant traces of old irrigation ditches, kyariz, wells nearby the ancient, and farm implements of that epoch – millstones, chigir are evidence of the hard conditions that our remote ancestors sowed and ploughed, grew their harvests in.

“Today we are transforming our steppes ad deserts in the blossoming oases. At the same time we implement the long-range programmes of efficient use of water resources.

“I am firmly convinced that the present exhibition and conference will promote achieving the success of the reforms initiated in the country and further expanding mutually advantageous and fruitful co-operation.”