Turkmen agrarians will be trained in new agricultural technologies with the help of “John Deere”
The agreement on cooperation in the education system signed today by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen Agricultural University and John Deere International GmbH, Switzerland, creates a platform for promotion advanced agricultural technologies and innovative practices in the country at the stage of training specialists for the industry.
According to the document, John Deere International GmbH will supply test equipment for demonstrating and testing new methods of agricultural production. In addition, the company will participate in the organization of personnel training for Turkmenistan at the company's plants and the profile university in Germany, in other European centers, as well as at the John Deere Training Center on the basis of the Agricultural University in Ashgabat.
Cooperation provides for the modernization of the training center in accordance with the latest industry standards. The first step in this direction was the John Deere tractor “6125M”, which was received today at the disposal of the center. It was handed by Mark Von Pentz, Head of agriculture and garden equipment division of “John Deere”, over a solemn ceremony at the university.
Completely re-equipping of the educational and technological site should be completed by September 2019. It is also planned to organize specialized semi-annual courses on mechanization of agricultural production and repair of machinery.
As part of the intensified interaction this summer, a group of Turkmen specialists will visit John Deere headquarters in the United States, a tractor plant in Waterloo, Iowa, where the “8R” and “9R” tractors are manufactured. During the excursion, the Turkmen farmers and managers will see all the stages of an accurate collection of equipment and will be able to assess its potential for application in Turkmenistan.
In addition, the company will conduct field seminars and presentations of John Deere technologies directly in the operation of tractors, harvesters, etc. The first such “John Deere field day” will be held next month – May 15.
The agreement on cooperation was signed by the parties for the period of 2018 – 2021, but can be prolonged for another three years automatically.
Before the signing ceremony, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Mark Von Pentz. As the guest said, the Turkmen market, including its agricultural sector, is very attractive for the American business community. “John Deere” as a traditional partner of the country is ready to expand cooperation in view of the tasks of agrarian reform in Turkmenistan, he noted.
Last year the Ministry of Agriculture signed a contract with “John Deere”, according to which 1350 units of the modern specialized equipment, units, spare parts and consumables will be delivered in Turkmenistan in 2017 – 2020 in three tranches.
Thus, in 2017 Turkmen agricultural producers received 150 combine harvesters “John Deere W540”, 400 tractors “John Deere 8245R” and 200 cotton harvesters “John Deere 9970”. This year, cotton growers will also receive 200 harvesters of the latest modification.
