Small Businesses and Private Enterprises of Uzbekistan: Export Gains Pace. 1
Uzbekistan: Delicate Balance of Nature. 1
Shakhobidin Zoirov becomes Olympic champion. 2
economy
Small Businesses and Private Enterprises of Uzbekistan: Export Gains Pace
From the dawn of independence, Uzbekistan has been attaching great importance to the development of foreign trade and exportation of domestic goods and services.
August of 2013 has marked a new milestone in the country’s external economic policy. A Presidential Decree has paved the way for the establishment of the Fund for Support of Exports of Small Businesses and Private Enterprises. The Fund renders legal, financial and organizational support for economic entities in increasing the volume of production of modern and internationally marketable products, providing a reliable protection of exporters from the market change risks. It is also entrusted with rendering assistance in obtaining licenses, certificates and other permissive documents as stipulated by legislation of the importing countries.
Today, the Fund runs its branches in all regions. Supported by the Fund, hundreds of companies have been able to participate in international exhibitions and fairs, business forums and cooperation exchanges, which resulted in new foreign partners and big contracts. FSESBPE has established partnerships with more than a hundred foreign organizations, holding regular meetings with business communities in South Korea, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Turkey, Latvia, China, Russia and other countries.
In the first half of 2016, the Fund rendered legal, financial and organizational services to promote goods and services of 1,646 business entities in foreign markets. As a result, they concluded export contracts for $1.32 billion. The first batch of products worth $643 million has already been shipped to foreign customers. Compared to last year, the number of entrepreneurs supported by the Fund has increased by 164 entity, and exports – by $131 million, or 26%.
The indicators keep growing steadily. For example, 2,400 entrepreneurs addressed the FSESBPE in 2014 against last year’s 3,212. It is expected that the number of customers will reach 4,000 by the end of the current year. The volume of exports in the reported period has increased from $842 to 1.04 billion accordingly. Experts expect that the volume of external supplies with the assistance of the Fund will increase to $1.5 billion in the current year.
In the first half of 2016, FSESBPE assisted 120 businesses with participation in five international exhibitions and fairs in Germany, France, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan. They signed contracts for $59.5 million. The number of participating businesses has increased by half as dozen against last year, and the amount of export contracts has increased thrice or by $39.5 million last year.
Aiming to increase the volume of exports of processed agricultural products and create favorable conditions for exporters, FSESBPE, jointly with the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity and farms established 64 agricultural companies specializing in gardening and horticulture in all regions of the country. In the first half of the current year, they concluded export contracts for $557 million.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
Ecology
Uzbekistan: Delicate Balance of Nature
Media tour to the territory of Ugam-Chotqol State National Natural Park has allowed the central media reporters to explore the largest environmental complex of the country and to learn how its rich flora and fauna are being preserved.
The employees of the State Committee on the Protection of Nature of the Republic, who organized this event, on the example of this picturesque section of nature also talked about the development of ecotourism in the country.
The Ugam-Chotqol State National Natural Park impresses visitors with its scale – its area makes up about 575 thousand ha. Being the coeval of independence of the Republic, it was founded in 1990 as a result of the merger of the Burchmullo forestry fund and the Chirchiq arboriculture. Later it was expanded on account of the Chotqol State Biosphere Reserve and the Okhangaron forestry enterprise.
The territory is divided into the protected zone with the Chotqol State Biosphere Reserve, natural and restored landscapes with the potential possibility of conducting economic and touristic activities without inflicting any damage to nature, and recreation area with pension homes, children’s health centers, tourist facilities and sanatoria.
The main objective for setting up the National Park was the preservation of exemplary juniper ecosystem and numerous species of fauna that inhabit it from the threat of extinction. Fundamental research work is conducted in the conservation area on a regular basis, which provides information on the status of biodiversity and an opportunity to take decisions for its preservation.
The fauna of the Ugam-Chotqol National Park is represented by 230 species of animals, of which 38 species are included in the Red Book, and 1800 species of flora, of which 74 are also in the Red Book.
The beauty of natural scenery of the Ugam-Chotqol National Park attracts many tourists and lovers of wild nature. It is not without reason that the territory of the Western Tian-Shan Mountains this year is included into the UNESCO World Heritage List, which from the side of Uzbekistan is represented by the Chotqol Biosphere Reserve.
As part of the media tour the participants had the opportunity to walk along one of the developed eco-touristic routes to Gulkam gorge with lots of streams and torrents, which flowing into the river, give their waters to the Chorvoq reservoir. There are several waterfalls, occasional birch groves, juniper forests and a great number of medicinal herbs in Gulkam.
The environmentalists and experts stressed at the event, that the territory of Ugam-Chotqol National Park open for visits, requires people to be not just a tourist, but an eco-tourist, that is to be aware of their responsibility before the environment, to get acquainted with the nature without disturbing its delicate balance.
Today, the National Park has developed more than 30 nature trails: trekking, horseback riding, hiking and more. So the flow of tourists keeps growing up here.
The ecological tourism in Uzbekistan is a relatively new and rapidly developing area, which will ensure the protection of nature, increase the importance of the monuments of nature and the well-being of the local population. It was announced at the event that our compatriots and guests will be able to get acquainted with the unique natural corners of our country, potential ecological routes and prospects for the development of ecotourism at the international conference “Eco-tourism – an important factor in sustainable development and environmental protection: the experience of Uzbekistan and foreign practice”, which will be held in Tashkent in October this year.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
Olympics-2016
Shakhobidin Zoirov becomes Olympic champion
Shakhobidin Zoirov won the gold medal at the XXXI Summer Olympic Games.
In the final in the men’s Olympic flyweight (52kg), Shakhobidin Zoirov left Misha Aloyan without any chances and added a third gold to the total medal tally of Uzbekistan.
(Source: UzA)
Reference to the source is a must in reproducing materials