BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 18. The British Embassy and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed an agreement on the implementation of joint projects aimed at supporting small businesses of Uzbekistan in the field of agriculture and textile production, Trend reports via Uzbek media outlets.
The agreement was signed between British Ambassador Tim Torlot and the Mission Director of USAID in Uzbekistan Mikaela Meredith.
The agreement includes providing assistance to the exporters from Uzbekistan to maximize the benefits of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (formerly known as the GSP), by allowing 91 percent of Uzbek goods and products to be exported to the UK at zero tariff rates.
The arrangement between the sides also implies the project implementation with a grant from the UK government, which is aimed at increasing exports of agricultural and textile products to the UK, and the EU.
Within the framework of the project, local farmers and agricultural companies will also be trained in the environmentally safe use of pesticides and fertilizers, production and post-harvest processing methods, as well as food safety and certification.
The project will also have an impact on capacity-building and training activities in Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Sirdorya, and Karakalpakstan regions of Uzbekistan, including training women in digitizing embroidery patterns and support in finding buyers for the sale of embroidered textiles.
Additionally, the UK project will also support the exports of internationally certified freeze-dried fruits and vegetables at the international level.
Meanwhile, USAID already implements in Uzbekistan Agribusiness Development Project. This is a five-year project, worth $18.9 million, which aims to improve agribusiness competitiveness by introducing new technologies and management practices in agricultural production, post-harvest processing, processing, and marketing.