CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES IN UZBEKISTAN'S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR: TRANSFORMING WASTE INTO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Abstract

Abstract. This article examines the application of circular economy principles to Uzbekistan's agricultural sector, with particular emphasis on converting crop residues, livestock waste, and agri-processing by-products into secondary raw materials, bioenergy, and organic soil amendments. The conventional linear agricultural model — extract, produce, discard — generates substantial economic losses through inefficient resource flows and rising waste disposal costs. The article analyses the current volume and composition of agricultural waste in Uzbekistan, the operational scale of existing biogas, composting, and recycling enterprises, the pipeline of planned waste-to-energy projects, and the competitiveness implications of circular agricultural models for farms, agri-processors, and rural communities. Data on annual crop residue tonnage, organic fertiliser substitution potential, biogas generation capacity, greenhouse gas abatement estimates, and circular economy investment flows are used to quantify the economic and environmental case for transition. The article argues that agricultural circularity is not merely an environmental obligation but a compelling economic strategy capable of reducing input costs, generating new revenue streams, and strengthening Uzbekistan's agri-food export proposition.