Leaked Videos Reveal the Brutal Methods of the Presidential Advisor for Agriculture

The independent Uzbek Telegram channel Eltuz has published two leaked video recordings from an online meeting between Shukhrat Ganiev, the Presidential Advisor on Agricultural Development, and regional officials, recorded in June and July of this year.

Ganiev, who oversees Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector and is known for his threatening and even thuggish behavior. During the cotton harvests in 2023 and 2024, numerous leaked online meetings showed Ganiev insulting, berating and even threatening officials for failing to meet scheduled cotton production targets. At this time of the year, Ganiev is overseeing the grain harvest in the same heavy-handed manner, holding almost daily online briefings at 1:00 p.m. to hear reports from regional and district hokims (governors) on agricultural progress.

A seven-minute video from June 12, 2025, shows Ganiev harshly reprimanding regional leaders for the slow pace of grain harvesting. He also demands that hokims immediately ensure the planting of potatoes on land cleared after the grain harvest.

In one meeting, Ganiev appears particularly dissatisfied with the Samarkand region and calls on the Prosecutor General’s Office to summon each district hokim and issue formal warnings. “Set up a working group and hold them criminally responsible,” he urges a representative of the Office.

Throughout the video, Ganiev continues berating the officials, calling them “shameless” and “fools” and insists on making farmers sign contracts for potato cultivation without delay.

In Uzbekistan, grain harvesting traditionally occurs in June and every district has its “production quota.” Once the grain harvest is completed, farmers are expected to plant a “second crop” on the same land and local officials control which crops should be planted, claiming this policy ensures food security. However, former parliament member Rasul Kusherbayev has recently criticized this practice, describing it as coercive and economically unsound. He cited past instances where farmers were forced to grow crops such as pumpkins or red peppers, which later rotted in the fields due to lack of buyers, leaving farmers with heavy losses.

One farmer from Khorezm, commenting on the potato mandate, wrote:
“Do they understand how much it costs to grow potatoes? Where is the farmer supposed to get the money? From a bank loan at 30% interest? Do we even have water? Is the land suitable? Government interference is destroying market mechanisms and driving farmers to ruin. We need low-interest loans and water. Without resolving this, agriculture cannot develop.”

The state maintains tight control over grain and cotton production, allocating almost 70% of irrigated land only for these crops, despite the fact that most grain and all cotton are purchased by privately owned “clusters.”

Another leaked video, recorded on July 17, 2025, shows Ganiev berating officials over cotton production. He demands that district hokims work 24/7 and even sleep in the fields to ensure high yields:

“You will all disgrace yourselves. These district hokims don’t understand how hard it is to achieve 45 centners per hectare [referring to cotton yield].

You have one month, after which you will all die in disgrace. Why are some of them are not  bleeding from the nose yet? Their ears should be cut off!” he shouted.

“We will do just that. From now on, we will work differently,” replies one regional hokim.

However, in an example of Uzbekistan’s mastery of smoke and mirrors, an “Open Dialogue” took place in Tashkent and Samarkand on July 11–12, attended by several hundred farmers and representatives of state agricultural and water organizations. Dozens of farmers got to their feet to raise urgent issues including delayed payments for cotton and grain, broken promises of subsidies, and forced cultivation of silkworm cocoons. Officials including Sherzod Kudbiev, head of the state Tax Department, acknowledged that the clusters owed farmers for the cotton and grain they had received, and was the reason why many farmers were unable to pay their taxes. However, instead of pursuing the clusters for violating their contracts with farmers, the authorities are instead imposing punitive measures on farmers who are in tax arrears as a result.

Officials on the podium, such as Davron Vakhabov, Chaiman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Akhtam Khaitov, Head of the Farmers’ Council, gave assurances that farmers’ problems would be addressed and solved. But it appears that real power is not in their hands.

According to one farmer who participated at the meeting, the core issue is the lack of freedom for farmers: “It feels like there are two governments in this country. The Ministry of Agriculture tries to follow the rules, but the real power lies with the President’s advisor—who wasn’t even present at the Open Dialogue,” a farmer told Uzbek Forum referring to Ganiev.