TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 21. Uzbekistan’s trade turnover amounted to $40 billion from January through August 2023, which is 23.2 percent ($7.5 billion) more compared to the same period last year, Trend reports.
Of these, the volume of exports in the country from January through August amounted to $16.4 billion, an increase of 27.8 percent. In turn, the import rate is fixed at $23.6 billion, which is an increase of 20.2 percent compared to the same period last year. As a result, the balance of foreign trade turnover amounted to - $7.1 billion.
The largest volume of foreign trade turnover was recorded with China (20.7 percent), Russia (15.4 percent), Kazakhstan (7.2 percent), Turkey (5.3 percent), and the Republic of Korea (3.7 percent). Overall, Uzbekistan carries out trade relations with 190 countries in the world.
In the structure of the republic's foreign trade turnover, a significant share was recorded in Tashkent, which is 37.4 percent, or $14.9 billion, and the smallest share was fixed in the Surkhandarya region with 0.5 percent, or $208.3 million.
Earlier this month, Uzbekistan called on the Central Asian countries to create a full-fledged free trade zone in order to increase trade turnover volumes. Thus, the country proposed to adopt a comprehensive regional program providing for the formation of sustainable trade and logical chains, the opening and expansion of the center for cross-border trade and cooperation, the harmonization of legislation and the elimination of barriers to mutual trade, as well as the creation of unified electronic platforms for customs administration, sanitary and phytosanitary control, certification of the origin of goods, and the launch of a regional e-commerce platform.
Meanwhile, the trade turnover between the countries of Central Asia has grown by more than 80 percent over the past 5 years, amounting to $10.6 billion.