Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 15
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
In January-September 2018, the volume of agricultural exports from Uzbekistan to new markets of China, Vietnam and Pakistan increased almost six-fold and totaled 72,400 tons worth $51.4 million, Uzbek state enterprise Uzagroexport told Trend on Oct. 15.
If in the first nine months of 2017, only 9,200 tons of agricultural products worth $7.1 million were exported to China, in 2018 exports reached 32,200 tons worth $23 million. Supplies to Vietnam increased from 900 tons ($600,000) to 22,000 tons ($14.2 million), to Pakistan – from 1,400 tons ($900,000) to 18,200 tons ($14.2 million).
Overall, during the reporting period, exports of fruits and vegetables from Uzbekistan exceeded 873,500 tons and reached $649.4 million, which is 50 percent more than the same period last year.
The main foreign trade partners of Uzbekistan in the supply of agricultural products were Kazakhstan (441,200 tons worth $315.4 million, 48.6 percent of the total), Russia (168,200 worth $118.7 million, 18.3 percent) and Kyrgyzstan (68,100 worth $59.8 million, 9.2 percent).
According to Uzagroexport, growing exports to the new markets is the result of a new export policy being introduced by the state-owned agricultural company O'zbekoziqovqatxolding.
“The results more than vividly show that the policy of the O'zbekoziqovqatxolding is successful. UzAgro brand is already known and appreciated in many countries of the world. Uzbek producers profit, and the domestic market forgets about the shortage or rise in prices for fruits and vegetables,” the company said.
Earlier it was reported that in January-September 2018, Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover amounted to $23 billion, which is 17.2 percent more than in the same period last year.
In the total value of the foreign trade turnover, exports accounted for $9.4 billion (a 0.4-percent decline), and imports accounted for $13.7 billion (a 33.3-percent growth). The foreign trade deficit reached $4.3 billion.
The share of CIS countries in Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover in January-September 2018 increased to 38.6 percent.
The main foreign trade partners of Uzbekistan are still China ($4.43 billion), Russia ($4.18 billion), Kazakhstan ($2.14 billion), Turkey ($1.52 billion) and South Korea ($1.29 billion).
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