July 16, 2015
President Islam Karimov Receives Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov. 2
Uzbekistan exports 700,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables. 2
Good Roads Always in Demand. 3
The government expands the list of public information about legal entities. 4
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and Russia held talks. 4
POLItiCs
President Islam Karimov Receives Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov on July 15 at the Oqsaroy.
The relations between our two countries are built on the robust bedrock of strategic partnership and have been advancing steadily across practically all dimensions of interaction.
Extending a warm greeting to the guest, the head of our state said that the meeting is considered in Uzbekistan as a natural continuation of regular political contacts that allow the two sides to exchange views along the broad spectrum of issues of shared interest.
As it was stressed during the conversation, the talks between the Presidents of Uzbekistan and Russia that took place July 10 in the city of Ufa became a notable event in the bilateral relations. Important is the implementation of agreements reached during meetings at the highest level.
The Uzbek-Russian cooperation is built on a mutually advantageous footing. The priority aspect in the enhancement of the bilateral comprehensive dialogue is, without any doubt, the expansion of economic and investment ties. Russia is one of Uzbekistan’s major trade partners.
Pressing issues in international affairs and those concerning regional security and stability have been discussed during the conversation at the Oqsaroy.
Uzbekistan highly appreciates the outcomes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit meeting in Ufa. In its turn, by accepting a responsible mission of presidency in the Organization for the upcoming period, our country is set to consistently cement and promote multilateral cooperation that meets the interests of all the SCO member nations.
Sergey Lavrov expressed sincere gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov for a warm welcome and the opportunity to discuss in detail the current issues on the bilateral agenda as well as regional affairs.
(Source: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
economy
Uzbekistan exports 700,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables
Uzbekistan increased export of fruits and vegetables up to 700,000 tonnes, the Ministry of Economy of Uzbekistan said in a statement.
According to the ministry, in last ten years the export of fruits and vegetables in natural expression rose from 400,000 tonnes to over 700,000 tonnes. The volume of exports in money expression rose by 18 times in the reporting period.
In last several years, Uzbekistan carried out reforms on decreasing cotton fields and increase production of food cultures such as grain, vegetables, potatoes, melons and gourds.
In the result the share of areas, allocated for grain, rose from 25.7% in 1991 to 45% in 2014, potatoes, melons and gourds – from 7% to 8.8% and share of technical cultures decreased from 41.9% to 35.4%.
In last five years, the area, allocated to potatoes, melons and gourds, rose by 19% and area of gardens and vineyards – by 11%.
Currently, 20% of all irrigated agricultural lands are used for growing fruit and vegetables, the share of industry in total agricultural production is more than 41%, in exports of agricultural products – 43.4%.
Uzbekistan also created intensive gardens and vineyards. In last seven years, 36,800 new gardens and 35,300 vineyards were created and 57,800 hectares of gardens and 37,300 hectares of vineyards were reconstructed.
In last five years with use of foreign experience, Uzbekistan created over 23,500 hectares (9% from total area of gardens) of intensive gardens with use of drip irrigation and other innovations.
In 2009-2015, over 2,600 hectares of greenhouses were created and in the result, production of main fruitage rose by 1.6 times and 17.7 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables were produced in 2014, which makes up 509.7 kg and 578 kg per capita.
Uzbekistan also works on developing processing, storage and export of fruits and vegetables. In 2004-2014, some 130 enterprises on processing fruits, vegetables and grapes with the capacities of over 475,000 tonnes of raw materials a year were launched. They produce over 145 types of products.
In last ten years, processing of fruits, vegetables and grape rose 4.2 times – from 557,000 tonnes in 2014 to 2.32 million tonnes in 2014.
Exports of horticultural products in natural expression increased from 400,000 tonnes to 700,000 tonnes, while the volume of exports in money terms rose during this period by 18 times.
Uzbekistan implements a programme on strengthening and developing of base for storage of fruits and vegetables. In last five years, Uzbekistan launched 347 modern storage sites with the capacities of over 231,800 tonnes and modernized 80 existing cold storage cameras with the capacity of 49,800 tonnes.
(Source: UzDaily.com)
INFRASTRUCTURE
Good Roads Always in Demand
By the end of 2015 Uzbekistan is planning to build, reconstruct and overhaul 376,100 km of roads. Despite the scale, it is just another phase of a large-scale program on the creation of an extensive network of roads on the basis of the Uzbek national highway.
It would seem that the construction of roads is a common and job-proved business. Nevertheless, the globalization and the progressive development of technologies have adjusted even the well-known process. Today’s roads are something beyond a way from point A to point B: they are able to generate electricity, and even repair themselves, if necessary. In an effort to keep abreast of the time, the domestic road specialists have been actively exploring new technologies.
So far the Uzbek mains have been behind European ones in the technological level and quality of performance. However, the dynamics is remarkable in terms of the annually growing scale and quality of work. There is no alternative, since the roads in many districts and villages are the only way to transport goods and passengers. The cost of any industrial output in many respects depends on the roads, as transportation costs make up a significant share of it.
Therefore, Uzbekistan has been intensively developing its real economy concurrently with the development of its transport system.
“116.7 km of roads have been built and reconstructed, and 34.9 km of roads have been repaired in Uzbekistan in the first half of 2015. 14.1 km of 11 streets of the ancient city of Urgench have been reconstructed and overhauled under the program of tourism development. By the end of 2019 it is envisaged to carry out similar works on the total of 2,699.8 kilometers of roads, bridges, viaducts and road junctions,” said senior specialist of O’zavtoyo’l Company Mahmud Jumayev in an interview with Uzbekistan Today.
The multiplied number of cars in the country in the past decade has loaded the traffic significantly, coupled with an increase in the proportion of heavy vehicles in the traffic flow, that has significantly reduced the service life of roads in between the repairs, and increased the degradation rate of road structures. Therefore, Uzbekistan has been taking a range of measures to improve the durability characteristics of the roads. For example, the axle load has been increasing, and the conventional asphalt pavement has been replaced with the cement concrete with the involvement of the leading foreign companies. For example, the Spanish Korsan Corvo Construction SA is expected to complete laying cement concrete pavement at the 77-kilometer stretch of road through the Qamchik pass this year.
The logistical capacity of the road fleet has been developing concurrently with the above mentioned tasks. Over the past two years the O’zavtoy’ol Company has purchased 536 units of various cutting-edge vehicles, and is going to purchase another 993 in the next four years. It is planned to renew the production facilities by means of 38 sets of asphalt and cement plants, concrete mixing plants, crushing and sorting lines and other equipment and machinery to be purchased in 2016-2019.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
BUSINESS CLIMATE
The government expands the list of public information about legal entities
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan introduced amendments and addenda to the Regulation on the Unified state register of enterprises and organizations.
The document was adopted in order to increase measures to ensure access to information on registered legal entities.
According to the document, making amendments to the register database about departmental affiliation of the legal entity will be made on the basis of information of its founders, and the information of the government and economic management.
In addition, according to the amendments, legal entities and state bodies during the state registration will notify the bodies of state statistics in a one-day term in electronic form via the Internet.
In other cases and in case of state registration of public and non-profit organizations, the notification to the state statistical bodies will be made within two days.
(Source: UzReport.uz)
International cooperation
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and Russia held talks
On July 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov met with Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, who is on a visit in Tashkent, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan said.
During the meeting the sides exchanged views on issues of Uzbek-Russian relations, prospects of development of cooperation in political, trade-economic, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres, on some international and regional issues.
Special attention was paid to practical steps on implementation of agreements reached during the meeting of President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 10 in Ufa.
The sides confirmed their interest in cooperation in the framework of Uzbekistan’s chairmanship in the SCO in 2015-2016.
The meeting was also attended by Russian Ambassador Vladimir Tyurdenev.
(Source: UzReport.uz)
regions: Surkhandarya
The President Approved the Program of Development of Industrial Potential of Surkhandarya Region until 2017
Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov has approved the Program of development of industrial potential of Surkhandarya Region until 2017. According to forecasts, its implementation will favor the creation of additional 9.5 thousand jobs in the region by 2018.
In accordance with the targeted program Surkhandarya Region implements 47 projects worth more than $ 21.6 million. Of these, 33 projects are new productions, while the remaining 14 are the modernization and expansion of the existing capacities of the enterprises for processing of fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products, pastry shops and bakeries, as well as oil and fat companies. Own funds of enterprises in the financing of these facilities will be more than eight million US dollars, bank loans – about $ 13.6 million. The implementation of the projects contributes in the creation of 1,831 jobs.
37 projects worth more than $ 63.2 million will be implemented in the textile, garment and knitwear, leather and footwear, and pharmaceutical industries. In addition to credit, as well as companies’ own funds, it also provided foreign investment. Nearly $ 1.7 million of foreign investment will be invested in the hosiery production in Kumkurgan District. In general, the work in this direction will create more than three thousand new jobs within two and a half years.
The largest in terms of funding will be the target program in the field of production of building materials. The main emphasis is placed on the increase in production of concrete products, corrugated board, and burnt bricks. It provides for the implementation of 86 projects to the amount of $ 261,3 million. Approximately 86% of this sum will be directed to the construction of a cement plant near Sherabad District with annual capacity of 1.5 million tons.
(Source: IA «Uzbekistan Today»)
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