Uzbekistan, Tashkent, May 21 / Trend D.Azizov /
On July 1, 2013, Uzbekistan will introduce mandatory labelling in the official language of 44 types of imported consumer goods.
The list of imported goods which are required to be labelled by manufacturers includes meat and meat offal, vegetables and some root crops, dairy products, eggs of birds, natural honey, peanuts, fats and oils of animal or vegetable origin, sugar and confectionery with sugar.
Chocolate and food products of cocoa, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and tobacco products, medicines, oral and tooth hygiene products, sewing and washing machines, microwave ovens and a number of products now should also be labelled in the Uzbek language.
A label should contain the list of essential consumer properties including specific ones, the production date, terms of use and storage, service or shelf life and manufacturer address.
Depending on the type and technical complexity of a product, information on its label and accompanying operational documentation required for the consumer should be provided in the form of a text document.
Labels of goods obtained from genetically modified products should contain the respective information.
The sale of label free products is allowed until the first January 2014 in respect of goods placed under the customs regime of 'temporary storage' before July 1, 2013 and released into free circulation after that date.
The sale of imported consumer goods which are not labelled in the official language is prohibited with applying appropriate measures of accountability.
The mandatory labelling requirement does not apply to products that are not intended for sale and imported by legal entities and individuals including foreign ones, for their own use, as well as for official use by diplomatic and consular missions of foreign states and international and intergovernmental organisations.
The new ordinance was adopted in order to implement the order of the President of Uzbekistan 'On measures for the further improvement of the competitiveness of domestic products and intensification of the fight against the smuggling of goods' adopted in late January, 2013.
As reported previously, the president of Uzbekistan instructed the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade, and the State Customs Committee to 'critically review the list and range of imported consumer goods and to make proposals to the government on a drastic reduction of inventory and volumes of their delivery'.
The document also declares the necessity of expanding the scope and range of goods produced by enterprises of the country.
By the end of April, this year, Uzbekistan also increased the excise tax on the number of imported food products.
The official exchange rate for May 21 is 2077.92 UZS/ 1 USD.