Farmers report that under pressure from local authorities, they are forced to "voluntarily" give up their lands. According to Ozodlik, the plots may be transferred to Chinese investors.
Some farmers from Andijan claim that part of their land has already been leased to Chinese companies.
In response to these accusations, officials assure that the land transfer process is legal and voluntary, while excluding the possibility of transferring plots to foreign owners. However, farmers engaged in the cultivation of cotton, vegetables, and fruits note that they face intimidation and threats from officials demanding land transfer, depriving them of their livelihoods.
According to Uzbek legislation, farmers lease state lands for a period of up to 49 years, as private ownership of agricultural land is not provided. The lease agreement can only be terminated in case of payment delays or at the request of the lessee.
Research by the Uzbek service of RFE/RL (Radio Ozodlik) includes interviews with farmers, comments from officials, and document analysis, indicating the use of intimidation and secrecy methods in the Fergana Valley to displace farmers from their plots for the purpose of leasing land to Chinese investors.
Zoirjon Gapparov, head of one of the large farms in the Kurghantepa district, recounted how he was forcibly taken to the district administration and made to sign documents for the land transfer. He noted that such actions became part of the pressure that began in December 2024.
Gapparov reported that local authorities claimed the president had ordered the transfer of their lands to the Chinese. He refused to sign the documents, and after that, his fields were regularly checked by police and prosecutor's office staff. Officials tried to intimidate his workers into agreeing to the illegal lease.
When Gapparov approached local authorities in September 2025, he was told that his plots had already been redistributed.
“They said I was no longer a farmer, and my land now belonged to the Chinese,” Gapparov recounts. “They claimed I had no legal documents for the land, although I have all the documents.”
NEW LAND CONTROL SYSTEM
Ozodlik previously reported that land plots in several districts of the Andijan region are being transferred to Chinese companies. Although the transfer temporarily ceased after publication, farmers claim that pressure resumed soon after.
China has become the largest foreign investor in Uzbekistan, holding a significant share of foreign capital inflow and new projects. However, the growing influence of Chinese companies raises concerns among farmers, especially regarding the distribution of agricultural land.
Dilmurod Khojamberdiev, head of the agriculture department of the Kurghantepa district, confirmed that local authorities leased land to Chinese investors, but they do not have ownership rights to these plots.
“The land was transferred to a directorate established by the government. The law prohibits the transfer of agricultural land to foreign citizens,” he noted.
In response to a question about whether Chinese companies had engaged in any activities in the district last year, Khojamberdiev confirmed that they had leased land.
“They leased land from the directorate, not from me or the head of the district. The directorate can lease land to anyone,” he added.
According to a government decree adopted in May 2025[url=https://lex.uz/docs/7545512], such directorates were established in the Andijan region and six other regions.
These directorates, consisting of several employees, have the authority to control land use and lease agricultural land to local or foreign investors "in accordance with the law."
According to the National Statistics Committee, as of December 2024, there were 17,900 enterprises with foreign participation in Uzbekistan, of which 4,873 had Chinese capital. By the end of 2025, more than 1,500 additional Chinese enterprises were registered.
“VOLUNTARINESS ONLY ON PAPER”
Azizakhon Ergashova, head of the "Azizabonu Durdonasi" farm, claims that she was taken from her home at night and forced to sign an agreement to transfer 40 hectares of land to Chinese investors for cotton cultivation.
“I was sick and tired. In the end, I signed. Voluntariness was only on paper,” Ergashova says.
Khojamberdiev, head of the agriculture department, claims that land is taken only from those farmers who have debts or have not fulfilled production plans.
He mentioned Ergashova as one of the debtors. At the same time, she claims that officials deliberately inflated her debts by setting unrealistic cotton harvesting plans and creating problems with drip irrigation, which the authorities recommended.
“They forced us to sign contracts for 40 quintals of cotton per hectare, although our soil could not provide such a yield,” she explains.
A yield of 40 quintals of cotton per hectare is considered high, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“We couldn’t meet the plan and ended up in debt. Then the company they recommended for installing drip irrigation just took my money and disappeared. Do you know who recommended them? The district administration!” she continues.
Orifjon Kayumov, head of the district farmers' council, claims that no foreign investors, including Chinese, are currently engaged in any activities on the confiscated plots.
“Land is taken only voluntarily or by court decision,” he stated. “Farmers themselves decide to transfer it to reserve. The khokim created an agricultural directorate, which now legally owns the land. We'll see what happens in the spring,” he added.
However, farmers refuted this statement, claiming that no one called them to court, and they were forced to sign documents under threats and intimidation from the police.
Two farmers, who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, told Ozodlik that they were also taken to the police and forced to sign "voluntary" land transfer documents.
More than 20 farmers in Ergashova's district and about 50 across the region claim they lost money due to the same irrigation system supplier who deceived Ergashova.
Ergashova asserts that the 40 hectares officially confiscated "for Chinese investments" were actually transferred to local businessman Bahodir Saydaliev.
“He came and destroyed everything I built: the orchard, even the mulberry trees where I raised silkworms,” she claims. “He promised to plant fruitful cherries, but instead planted wild ones that dried up. Now the land is overgrown with weeds.”
