BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. Kazakhstan is going to introduce a special program for Uzbek producers of fur and leather goods, offering a 3 percent credit and access to land in industrial zones, Trend reports.
This matter was discussed in a meeting held at the Uzbek Uzcharmsanoat Association, with the participation of the Kazakh delegation led by the Deputy Chairman of the Industrial Development Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Saparbekov.
The meeting was attended by associations and entrepreneurs from both countries operating in the leather and footwear industry. At the meeting, Saparbekov emphasized the need for close collaboration with Uzbek enterprises and the implementation of new investment projects, as Uzbekistan currently holds a significant share of approximately 50 percent in the Kazakh leather and footwear market.
Currently, only 4 percent of Kazakhstan's domestic demand for footwear is met by local entrepreneurs, with the majority being imported. The country has only ten leather processing enterprises, which limits the complete utilization of raw materials. Therefore, the delegation members highlighted the importance of studying Uzbekistan's experience in leather processing.
The discussion also focused on increasing the export of finished leather, footwear, and fur products from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan. It was noted that this year the volume of footwear, leather, leather goods, artificial leather, and woolen products exported to Kazakhstan significantly increased.