Many Uzbek farmers complain that they are forced to find work in neighboring countries, as they cannot find justice at home.

“Jarayon” had a chance to interview Uzbek farmer Iskandar, from Uchkoprik district of Ferghana region, who is currently working in Russia.

“First of all, necessity makes to go for this. On the other hand, it has become very hard to make a living doing farming nowadays. It is because farmers are not masters of their crop. My neighbors, who took the land to start farming, constantly complain.

I understand them very well, because I used to rent a land and farm there with my two younger brothers. The whole year we spent money for various expenses, and worked from morning until night, we were very busy… and when harvesting started, a representative of the local authorities with two police officers came to our home and demanded to give the entire crop in government’s general harvest. We could not disobey his orders. We gave the government wheat, and it was more than the norm put on us. We had only 200 kilogram of wheat left for us. Who got the rest of our crop, we do not know”, – says Iskandar, who had to return the rented land to the state, and leave for Russia.

According to Iskandar, now his family of nine lives for the money that he earns working as a manual worker in a foreign land.

“It is not easy to make money here. Our rights are violated almost everywhere here. Especially if you’re Uzbek or Tajik. You are forced to work, but in the end do not get paid. Last year we worked on a construction site in Novokuznetsk. One day there was a heavy rain, and even on this weather we were taken to the construction site. The taskmaster, ethnic Russian, yelled at us threatening “If you do not go out to work, I will fire you all and you will die of hunger.” We had no other choice, we went to work. I went on a three-meter high place, accidentally slipped and fell down. Good thing I did not hurt my back. I hurt badly only my head and leg. I had to get treatment in a hospital for one month. I spent everything I earned for treatment”, – says Iskandar.

However, despite the fact that in Russia the rights of many migrants from Central Asia are violated almost on daily basis, Iskandar says that here working for a year or two they can earn the money they would have earned in Uzbekistan working for ten years.

“We come here because of the money. What else can we do? Now, everywhere you go you see how our people are humiliated, but we have to endure it all. In Russia people can make good money. Last year my daughter married. At home I have other kids who need to study, to be married. I come to Russia for them,” – says Iskandar.

According to Iskandar, he has been working in Russia for three years and during this time he has seen many incidents happened with migrants from Uzbekistan.

“Here migrants can face a lot of difficulties. I want to tell about one of such cases. I had a friend from Kashkadarya region, whose name was Kobiljon. Last year his had difficulties at work, problems with his documents, and mired in debt. He was not able to send money home, it was very difficult. In the end, he hanged himself. We have collected money and sent his body back to home. He had three children. The Uzbek government claims from high tribunes that it creates new jobs for the people.

Their words make me feel uncomfortable. If there are jobs, why Uzbeks have to go to foreign lands? If we had good relations with neighboring countries such as Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, maybe we would have gone to work there. Right now, in order to cross the Uzbek-Kazakh border you pay 200,000 sum as a bribe. Who takes the money? Again, the officials do. Those, who sit in the power, never cared about the ordinary people”, – says Iskandar.

He says that his family is experiencing financial difficulties, as he returned back from Russia for the wedding of his daughter.

“It is difficult to see what is happening here. They say that “we enjoy the prosperity and abundance”. What is the abundance? If you do not go to a foreign country to work, you can die of hunger. It is great that we have Russia. Fortunately, we have a cow in our household and its milk is helping to live. Some families do not have even this. Our young men and their wives cannot return home for years. Children are far from their parents care and upbringing. What is their future?, – asks Iskandar.

At the end of the conversation, talking about his life in a foreign land, Iskandar tells about his fears that one day a visa regime may be introduced between Russia and Uzbekistan, and that only ordinary Uzbeks will suffer from it.

Gulnora RAVSHAN