February 28, 2014
Light industry produces industrial goods for 2.144 trillion soums. 2
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: UZBEKISTAN – SPAIN.. 2
Crisis Barely an Obstacle for Business. 2
specialindustrial zone“Angren”. 4
Korean delegation get acquainted with favorable conditions created in Angren SIZ.. 4
Press-service of MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan
economy
Light industry produces industrial goods for 2.144 trillion soums
The volume of produced industrial goods of light industry of Uzbekistan made up about 2.144 trillion soums in 2013, which rose by 22.1% year-on-year.
According to Uzbekyengilsanoat (Uzbek Light Industry), production of consumer goods rose by 26.4% year-on-year in 2013 to 857.6 billion soums (Currency rates of CB from 28.02.2014 1$=2229.71 soums).
The enterprises of industry produced 128 types of goods in 2013. They started production 52 types of new products such as cotton fabrics, ready garments and knitted products for over 210 billion soums.
The volume of exports of ready goods with high added value reached 42% of total exports. The industry exported goods for US$827.3 million in 2013, which rose by 17.3%.
About 252 enterprises exported their goods in 2013, of which 45 were new enterprises. The products were exported to five new markets such as Tunisia, Nigeria, Kenya, Sri-Lanka, Estonia and number of countries, where goods are exported, reached 48.
In 2013, 31 enterprises with total cost of US$231.92 million were launched and modernized. It helped to create 4,000 new jobs and capacities for production of 52,550 tonnes of yarn, 7.25 million square meters of fabrics, 2,030 tonnes of knitted fabrics, 16.8 million pairs of hosiery, 17.73 million units of ready and knitted garments, as well as 120 tonnes of raw silk.
According to the approved programme on developing regions for 2013-2015, it was planned to implement 1,355 projects for US$446.7 million and create 42,000 jobs in 2013. About 1,355 enterprises with total cost of US$475.3 million were launched and 42,500 new jobs were created in 2013, Uzbekyengilsanoat said. As of 1 January 2014, Uzbekyengilsanoat has about 300 industrial enterprises, of which 222 are small and private businesses.
(Source: UzDaily.com)
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: UZBEKISTAN – SPAIN
Crisis Barely an Obstacle for Business
Cozily nestled in the south-west of Europe, Spain has long been regarded as one of the world’s major center of tourism.
However, in recent years, along with the beautiful scenery of Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, the world’s biggest TV channels have been reporting on the crisis phenomena that have deeply affected one of the largest countries in Europe. Today, experts note a positive tendency in the Spanish economy, which has become possible due to active investment cooperation. Partnership with Uzbekistan, especially in the industrial sector, ranks among the most dynamically evolving trends.
As experts underline, the Uzbek-Spanish relations have a huge potential for enhancement, with hitherto insufficient level of trade and investment cooperation. Spain’s infrastructure system is one of the best in Europe today, ranging from high-speed trains, high-tech airports and highways, to the most advanced and environmentally friendly power networks. Uzbekistan, which has just embarked on developing these sectors, stakes on best practices that Spanish industrial giants are already passing on to domestic companies. Actually, these technological areas, though with complex and costly projects, have empowered and enhanced the bilateral cooperation in recent years. This is the uniqueness of the relationship between the two countries: they have not just been pursuing the policy of increasing turnover through selling natural resources or finished goods, but have launched large investment and engineering projects which have already brought several domestic industries to a new level.
The launch of Central Asia’s first high-speed train Tashkent-Samarqand is perhaps the most striking example of this partnership. Spain has long been leading among European countries both in the total length of the existing high-speed railways, and in those being projected and constructed. Thus it is quite clear why Uzbekistan Railways State Joint Stock Railway Company (SSRC) has chosen the Spanish company of Talgo as its foreign partner in July 2009. At that time the parties signed a special memorandum of understanding on the implementation of joint projects and research in the field of high-speed rail passenger trains in Uzbekistan.
The Spanish side considerably assisted national railroad specialists in projecting and construction of the transport line with ever applied new technologies and innovative solutions. The entire railway infrastructure was completely upgraded and brought into line with international requirements and standards to ensure the efficient operation of the expressway. The work on the project took a bit more than two years, within which the local railway workers managed to fulfill an unprecedented work: to build the necessary infrastructure for the operation of advanced locomotives, build and reconstruct the railway and stations, two-sided barrier, and reequip the contact network.
As the second phase of the project Spain delivered two high-speed passenger trains Talgo-250 consisting of four head and eighteen passenger cars valued at €38 million. They were symbolically named as Afrosiyob in honor of the famous ancient town in Samarqand region. The first ‘Spanish ambler’ arrived in Tashkent in July 2011, while the second one came in December.
Significant financial cost of road construction has more than justified itself to date. The tourist flow into ancient Samarqand, the pearl of Uzbekistan, has increased considerably with the bigger share of foreign tourists, who often admire the Afrosiyob’s comfort. Nowadays, electrification and construction of high-speed rail continues at a fast pace. In the future the main line will reach out to Bukhoro and Khiva.
Power is another important area of cooperation. The two sides work both on alternative energy sources, and on enhancing the traditional generation through the introduction of innovated equipment. A new 478 MW combined cycle gas turbine was launched at Navoi TPP on October 2012. The big project was funded by the Republican Fund for Reconstruction and Development, National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity and Uzbekenergo State Joint-Stock Company, and carried out by a consortium of investors including the Spanish Initek Energy and Turkish Chalik Energy. The Spanish company has undertaken project planning, support, orders, procurement and installation of the equipment, and the Turkish company was responsible for construction works.
As part of the construction the consortium engaged dozens of subcontractors. In different periods, it involved over a thousand skilled workers and experts. The project has turned into a pilot model of introduction of a completely different type of equipment at generating units of the country, and also initiated a large-scale national program on the upgrade of thermal power plants.
Installation of the second combined-cycle 450 MW plant is currently underway at Navoi TPP. The collaboration in alternative energy sources keeps pace with.
The country’s first solar power plant is expected to be built in Samarqand region in the coming years. The experience will be used in the future for the construction of similar facilities. Spanish experts helped the Uzbek partners to project the territory for building new stations and ensure their maximal effect. For instance, at the last year’s sixth meeting of the Asian Forum on Solar Energy in Tashkent CEO of Spanish company Solar Technology Advisors Jorge Serverta presented a roadmap of development of solar energy in Uzbekistan.
The experience of Spanish companies in road construction is in demand in Uzbekistan, as well. With the Pyrenees on its territory, the country’s relief is one of the most complicated in Europe, where mountains neighbor with valleys and ravines. That is why it developed the advanced technologies of construction and reconstruction of roads in difficult mountain conditions and uneven terrain. In 2012, the National Road Fund of Uzbekistan signed a contract with a consortium of the Spanish Korsan Corvo Construction SA and the Uzbek Elektrtarmoqqurilish to reconstruct the 58 km section of Tashkent-Osh highway that passes through the Kamchik pass. The latest advances and world-class quality standards are applied in its construction.
The road will resemble a layered cake with one meter thickness of the coating. The bottom two layers of the track will consist of sandy gravel and cement-treated gravel-sand mixture. The cement concrete pavement will be on top. As experts say, the road build by such a technology is expected to serve for at least 25 years. The project will not just expand the transport and transit capacity of the country, but also raise the tourist attraction of the Farghona Valley.
The interaction in the chemical industry is dynamically evolving. In 2007, one of the world’s major chemical producers, the Spanish corporation of MAXAMCORP S.A.U. purchased a 49 % stake of MAXAM-CHIRCHIQ. This breathed new life into the company. In recent years the enterprise has taken a range of measures on extension of its production and introduction of modern, environmentally friendly and energy efficient equipment. For example, after the commissioning of the upgraded urea plant the output of finished products increased from 235 to 270 thousand tons per year. The scaled program on technological extension aimed at expansion and diversification of the export flow is underway. Today, the company exports to more than 30 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and others.
According to many Spanish and Uzbek experts, these projects are just a basis for future dynamic development. For now, we have to preserve the experience and properly maintain the current economic situation.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
specialindustrial zone“Angren”
Korean delegation get acquainted with favorable conditions created in Angren SIZ
These days a Korean business delegation consisting of about 50 entrepreneurs are in Uzbekistan on an official visit. The delegation is headed by the deputy chairman of the Korea International
Trade Association Ang Hyun-ho. The main purpose of this visit is to provide Korean businessmen with complete information about the investment climate in Uzbekistan, the benefits and guarantees provided for foreign investors. Yesterday, as part of the visit Korean businessmen visited Angren special industrial zone (SIZ).
The guests first visited “Angren Shakar”, whose construction began in 2013. With construction works completed, the production and packaging plant will soon begin to operate, as well as a workshop for making bags. The company, with 100 percent of Singaporean investment, has a production capacity of 1,000 tons of sugar per day.
“Before, there was only “Khorezm Shakar” in Uzbekistan and it had been supplying 60% of sugar for the needs of the domestic market, the rest being imported, – says the head of “Angren Shakar” Alexei Madkarimov. – After the launch of our plant 100% of the demand for sugar will be satisfied by local companies. Moreover, 50% of production will be exported”.
“The plant is fully automated, the equipment is German. Only modern equipment is used in the production, that provide environmental cleanliness of products, and also help to reduce costs,” added Alex Madkarimov.
Plant’s project cost is $110 million and it will start operations in June this year and will employ over 400 people.
The guests also visited and got acquainted with the activities of Angren Pipe Plant, Angren International Logistics Center, JV EGL-NUR and Angren silicon plant.
Then a presentation was made on tax and customs privileges, guarantees given to foreign investors in Angren SIZ. For more information visit our website later.
Add that as part of the program of the visit on February 27 in Tashkent will be held the Uzbek-Korean Business Forum and Cooperation Exchange with business circles of both countries.
(Source: Uzreport.com)
museums
History on the Jug
Having entered the State Museum of History of Timurids one immediately gets douse into a distant era. The museum, like a large mirror, reflects our past, present and future to some extent. Samples frescoes of ancient buildings, despite the past century, retained their original appearance. Precious fabrics, articles of gold, silver and bronze show that Amir Temur was not only a great statesman, but also the patron of science, culture and crafts.
In 1997, National Museum of Cultural History and Art of Samarqand passed on to the Museum of Temurids a bronze jug with inscriptions dated to 14th century, found in Tarefta workshop in Registon. Since then, the jug became one of the jewels in the majestic halls of this temple of history.
The jug collar preserved as separate fragments, it is decorated with a belt and mysterious, still unread inscription. On the neck, there are prints of three medallions. Only one of them remained clear, showing a pair of sirins with women’s heads and bodies of a bird. The head made of gilded leaves, and the tail and feet of silver thread. The second track preserved only the lower part of a bird’s body.
A salient neck-foot separates the neck from the body, which is ornamented in three zones. The upper part is decorated with medallions decorated with runner. They depict two predators going after each other, and Kufi inscription. Predators with human heads looking straight at the viewer. Below is a main belt with six medallions, alternating with eight petal rosettes and palmettes. Background is decorated with complex floral and geometric patterns. Medallions are contoured to the rings. The first depicts a man on a throne, holding in his right hand a glass, left hend next to the hip. On the second medallion there are two seated figures on thrones. The man has a glass in his hand, a woman holds up a banana. The third medallion depicts a horseman, horse underfoot is a predator. On the fourth one there is a feasting couple. Judging by the results of the study, their faces were gilded, but these details are, unfortunately, lost, halo is framed with silver threads. On the fifth medallion there is a woman on the throne. The dress is closed, with wide sleeves. The sixth medallion preserved only floral patterns.
The base of the body is decorated with a belt of almond-shaped spikes and flare legs are decorated with a line inscription.
Thus, only one jug provides us a whole picture with scenes of conversations and hunting. Is it possible to depict moments of the entire era on such a small space? Apparently yes, reply ancient masters.
“The jug is unique, it was a real sensation,” says Nargiz Kholova, senior specialist at the museum. “This is the only specimen. Unfortunately it has a little deformation. Such relics are a rarity. These findings make us proud of our ancestors’ skill.”
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)