On 12 October, a press tour for journalists of various media, organized by the Silverleafe, was held in Pakhtakor district of Jizzakh region.
In 2018, representatives of the US company Silverleafe International arrived in Uzbekistan to participate in the reforms carried out by the administration of President Shavkat Mirziyayev. Interest in this country in Central Asia is based on the long historical ties of the family of representatives, through two grandfathers and a father, who had business relations with the cotton industry of Uzbekistan since its inception in the distant 30s, and then the 70s and 90s of the past centuries.
This fact served as a quick decision at the family council to accept the invitation of the government of Uzbekistan and join the process of modernizing the country’s agricultural sector, investing and experience in creating a vertically integrated structure, including such key links as the field, deep processing and entering the international market. In the same year, a joint venture Silverleafe was created together with Uzbek partners to implement the project, and the government allocated land to the joint venture in Pakhtakor district of Jizzakh region.
From the first day on the newly created US-Uzbek enterprise a great responsibility fell: to make sure for themselves and make skeptics move away from the old stereotypes regarding the investment climate in Uzbekistan. The US government, the US Department of Trade and Commerce, leading banks, the international community represented by the International Labor Organization, representatives of the diplomatic corps of various countries and the UN office have chosen this project as an indicator in assessing the changes taking place in the country in recent years. According to the heads of the joint venture, this process is taking place in close cooperation of the joint venture with colleagues in the agricultural sector and with the support of the khokimiyats and the republican government.
Today the general director of the joint venture, Mr. Dan Patterson, who remained in the fields of Jizzakh region during the pandemic, shared his feelings about his choice to come and work in Uzbekistan:
“Anyone who is engaged in international business may confirm the statement that this is a very specific business that requires a lot of human effort, and at certain moments – dedication and resilience in order to simply adapt to a new cultural environment. This is a two-way road. We have been assigned a task, and we strive to achieve positive results. We must all realize that we are doing a common cause. There is a mentality, a worldview that has developed over decades, and, finally, an economic and legal system. I see my responsibility in participating in changes in these segments. This is a daily hard work: in debates, disputes, we find a consensus and a mutually acceptable solution. This process takes time and energy.
But sometimes it also happens that one case of low professionalism throws us off the positive rhythm and can lead to damage to reputation, at the same time jeopardizing the success of our efforts. Let me give you one example: the press center of the Republican Land Cadastre Agency posted on its website information about the misuse of the arable land on our balance sheet by our joint venture, indicating that they are not used for agricultural needs. Along with other unverified facts, it was reported that we had built an airfield. The media immediately picked up this “sensation” in order to “entertain” their subscribers. Here I would like to note that anyone who comes to us with a question can always receive both documents and confirmation that our legal department strictly monitors the legality of our actions. The rented aircraft arrived to us after careful approval of the entire legal procedure and is an agricultural tool for growing crops. By the way, we placed it on a strip of land on the side of the road cleared and leveled from the blockage. I would like these facts to be refuted after our meetings with the agency.
It only remains to repeat that Rome was not built in one day. Understanding people, our common values and goals gives a lot of strength. It is also very important that you are supported by a family that is a thousand miles away and wants all your efforts to bring a positive result. Therefore, you need to believe in success and really love what you do. “
The joint venture Silverleafe LLC has set itself the following primary tasks:
– focus on the modernization of agro-business and related industries by attracting and adapting innovative Western technologies for the region that meet the requirements of the international market;
– to integrate the local population and specialists into the modernization process through training and practical training;
– to increase the level of indemnity, wages and, accordingly, the standard of living of employees taking part in the project, by acquiring technical knowledge and principles of international management;
– to contribute to the saturation of the domestic market with high-quality, competitive products with its parallel introduction to the international market and, first of all, to the markets of Western Europe and the USA;
– to promote the accelerated development of social and educational programs, as well as active interaction between the United States and Uzbekistan in the practical implementation of new humanitarian projects in the field of education, medicine and sports.
At the initial stage, the Silverleafe began to operate in three main areas: agriculture, irrigation and textiles. For two years, Silverleafe has conducted joint research with the participation of specialists from the University of Mississippi and various scientific institutions of Uzbekistan in the field of environmental conservation and water conservation, soil science, cotton seed processing, the introduction of biostimulants and plant protection.
To obtain high quality products and eliminate the use of manual labor, Silverleafe uses the latest generation of mechanized John Deer machinery. A team of Uzbek specialists and workers in the agricultural sector from Jizzak and the village of Mingchinor, who previously worked in the fields transferred to the JV’s balance, have now been trained and are working in conjunction with the JV. They now operate machinery with state-of-the-art navigation technology that controls all stages of cotton production. The new technology of pulsation irrigation PULSARTM is a water-saving system that conserves, according to local experts, up to 40% of water resources. Cooperation with the aviation company HUMO Air helps the joint venture to pollinate and cultivate fields more efficiently and in a timely manner. Silverleafe builds a balanced ecosystem based on state-of-the-art technology that has been tested for decades in the United States.
