In the Andijan region of Uzbekistan, farmers are expressing dissatisfaction, claiming they are being forced to hand over their land plots to local authorities. Many believe that these lands may eventually be transferred to Chinese investors, as reported by Ozodlik.
According to the farmers, some agricultural lands in the region have already been leased to Chinese companies.
Authorities in Uzbekistan assert that the land transfer process is voluntary and legal, emphasizing that the plots are not being transferred to foreign owners. Nevertheless, farmers engaged in growing vegetables, fruits, and cotton told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty about nighttime visits from officials who apply pressure and threaten them, forcing them to part with their land, which deprives them of their livelihoods.
According to the country's legislation, private ownership of agricultural land is not provided, and farmers lease state plots for up to 49 years. The contract can only be terminated in the event of payment delays or at the tenant's own request.
Research by the Uzbek service of RFE/RL (Radio Ozodlik) shows that in the Fergana Valley, located on the border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, local authorities use threats and covert actions to displace farmers from their plots and lease them to Chinese investors.
“They came to my home, forcibly put me and my wife in a car, and took us to the district administration,” said Zoirjon Gapparov, head of a farm in the Kurghontepa district, to Ozodlik.
According to him, the police visits became part of the pressure that began in December 2024.
“First, I was taken to the deputy khokim for agriculture, Shukhrat Kamchiev, and then to the head of the district. They said that the president ordered the transfer of our land to the Chinese,” he added.
Gapparov refused to sign documents for the transfer of the plot. After that, his cotton fields began to be regularly inspected by police and prosecutors, who tried to intimidate his workers into signing statements about illegal leasing.
When the farmer approached local authorities in September 2025, he was informed that his lands had already been redistributed.
“They said that I was no longer a farmer, that my land had been given to the Chinese, even though I have all the documents,” Gapparov recalled.
LAND TRANSFER SYSTEM
Ozodlik previously reported that in several districts of the Andijan region, lands are being transferred to Chinese companies. After the publication, this practice temporarily ceased, but, according to farmers, the pressure resumed after a few months.
China has become the largest foreign investor in Uzbekistan, accounting for a significant portion of capital inflow and new projects. However, the increasing Chinese presence raises concerns among farmers, especially regarding land distribution in favor of foreign investors.
Dilmurod Khojamberdiev, head of the agriculture department of the Kurghontepa district, confirmed to Ozodlik that land had been leased to Chinese companies, but they do not have ownership rights.
“The government created a directorate, and the land was transferred to it,” he explained. “The law does not allow agricultural land to be transferred to foreigners.”
When asked if Chinese companies had operated in the area last year, Khojamberdiev answered affirmatively.
“They lease land from the directorate, not from me or the head of the district. The directorate can lease land to anyone. The khokim does not make decisions on this matter,” he added.
According to a government decree adopted in May 2025, directorates were established in the Andijan region and six other regions: Jizzakh, Namangan, Tashkent, Fergana, Syrdarya, and Kashkadarya.
These directorates, consisting of five employees, have the authority to monitor land use and lease plots to local or foreign investors “in accordance with the law.”
According to the National Statistics Committee, by December 2024, there were 17,900 enterprises with foreign participation registered in Uzbekistan, including 4,873 with Chinese capital. The share of Chinese companies continues to grow, and by the end of 2025, more than 1,500 such enterprises were created.
“VOLUNTARY ONLY ON PAPER”
Other farmers recount similar situations to that of Gapparov.
The head of the “Azizabonu Durdonasi” farm, Azizakhon Ergashova, told Ozodlik that at night, police officers brought her from her home and forced her to sign documents for the transfer of 40 hectares of land for cotton cultivation “to the Chinese.”
“I was sick and tired. In the end, I signed. It can only be called voluntary on paper,” Ergashova says.
Khojamberdiev claims that land is seized only from farmers with debts or those who have not met production plans.
He named Ergashova as one of those indebted farmers. However, Ergashova herself insists that officials intentionally increased her debts by setting unrealistic production plans and creating difficulties with drip irrigation, which local authorities recommended.
“They forced us to sign contracts for 40 centners of cotton per hectare, even though our soil could not yield such a harvest,” Ergashova explains.
A yield of 40 centners of cotton per hectare is considered high by modern cotton farming standards, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“We could not meet the plan and ended up in debt. Then the company recommended for installing drip irrigation took my money and disappeared,” Ergashova continues. “They dug a hole and vanished. And you know what? They were recommended by the district administration!”
Orifjon Kayumov, chairman of the Kurghontepa district farmers' council, stated that foreign investors, including the Chinese, do not operate on the seized plots.
“Land is seized only on a voluntary basis or by court decision,” he said. “Farmers voluntarily transfer it to reserve. The khokim created an agricultural directorate, which now legally owns the land. Let’s see what happens in the spring.”
Nevertheless, farmers disagree with this. They claim they did not receive court summons and that they were forced to sign documents under pressure, threats of arrest, and sudden police visits.
Two farmers, who wished to remain anonymous due to fears of persecution, told Ozodlik that they were detained by the police and forced to sign “voluntary” statements for the transfer of land.
More than 20 farmers in the area where Ergashova lives, and about 50 across the Andijan region, claim they lost money due to the same irrigation system supplier recommended by local authorities.
Ergashova claims that the 40 hectares that were officially seized “for Chinese investments” were actually transferred to a local businessman, Bahodir Saydaliev.
“He came and destroyed everything I built: the orchard, even the mulberry trees where I raised silkworms,” she says. “He promised to plant fruitful cherries. Instead, they planted wild ones, which dried up. Now the land is overgrown with weeds.”
