Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - As previously reported, the Global Agro-Industrial Forum of Uzbekistan began its work in Tashkent today at the AgroWorld Uzbekistan International Agriculture Exhibition. The forum was opened by the session “Transformation of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Delegation of the European Union, as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The plenary session was addressed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Bahodir Halikov, and the head of the Delegation of the European Union, Ambassador Eduards Stiprais, who spoke about the new format of financial support for agriculture in Uzbekistan from the EU.

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, who presented the first results of the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture, as well as plans in this direction for 2020, paid special attention to the main stages that have already been implemented, which have become kind of historical, such as the abolition of the state plan for cotton and wheat.

“The main goal of the strategy and the reforms themselves, carried out under the auspices of the president, is to develop a competitive agricultural sector focused on the domestic market and export, which will increase farmers’ incomes, create new jobs, increase food security and sustainable use of natural resources,” said B Khalikov. “One of the first most significant steps in this direction was the abolition of state control over cotton and grain, and in 2020 we are faced with the task of introducing support mechanisms for agricultural producers to successfully adapt to new conditions.”

The Deputy Minister emphasized that the strategy is based on an integrated approach to the transformation of agriculture in Uzbekistan. This means that reforms are not limited to changing regulatory documents, providing for significant investments in government programs to improve public services, infrastructure and the development of domestic science. In essence, the Strategy provides that the main role in determining public policy will be played directly by agribusiness itself.

The international community is paying great attention to new reforms in agriculture in Uzbekistan, which can also be considered confirmation of the correctness and relevance of the chosen course.

One of the key events at the opening of the Forum was a presentation by the head of the Delegation of the European Union, Eduards Stiprais.

“The agricultural development strategy is the result of joint work in which the European Union also took part,” the ambassador emphasized. - This strategy represents an ambitious and very bold look into the future of the agricultural sector, including all kinds of challenges. This is a comprehensive approach, covering a wide range of tasks in the field of agriculture: land management, access to credit and other financial resources, research, education, counseling, public services and support mechanisms, budgeting, international trade, food security, veterinary and phytosanitary control, and environmental protection and sustainable management of natural resources. This approach was key to ensuring a consistent response to many sector problems, and the EU was pleased to contribute to the development of such an effective policy in Uzbekistan.”

The ambassador indicated that the European Union will continue to support Uzbekistan in the development of the agri-food sector, using a new format of cooperation - direct budget support. The Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the European Union have already signed a financial agreement to provide 40 million euros as budgetary support to Uzbekistan in order to reform and improve the agricultural sector. This project is aimed at assisting in the implementation of the new state Strategy for the Development of Agriculture for 2020–2030, strengthening public services to provide assistance to farms and agricultural enterprises.

“This is not a loan, but a fully grant financing. Properly designed and implemented budget support can provide a vector that promotes changes in public finance management, strengthens macroeconomic stability, and promotes sustainable and inclusive growth,” the ambassador added. - Our current and future financial and technical support is aimed at improving the management sector and improving the most important public services in this area. In particular, consulting services for farms and the agro-industrial complex, facilitating access to relevant knowledge to improve productivity and quality of Uzbek agricultural products.”

The Deputy Representative of the UN FAO in Uzbekistan Alisher Shukurov in his speech noted the importance of adopting the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan on a global scale.

“We welcome the fact that the Strategy aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and directly affects SDG 2 “Ensuring Food Security”, SDG 13 “Combating Climate Change”and SDG 15 “Sustainable Management of Natural Resources”, as well as many other global goals and indicators,”Alisher Shukurov noted in his speech.

World Bank Senior Agricultural Economist Sergei Zorya noted that the World Bank welcomes the adoption of the 2030 Agriculture Development Strategy. According to him, this is an important document changing the formats of relations between the WB and the government of Uzbekistan. It is based on the opportunities that a country has and the lessons learned from global analysis.

“We are pleased with the process as a result of which the Strategy was prepared,” said Sergei Zorya. - We and other donor organizations took an active part in the consultations, and we see that many of our proposals are reflected in this document. Separately, I would like to note that a strong team of the Ministry of Agriculture could always explain to us those moments that we did not know, and we came to a consensus. This is very important for a common understanding of development challenges and opportunities.”

Sergei Zorya noted that on 20 March 2020, the World Bank Board of Directors will consider a US$500 million Agricultural Modernization Project, which has been prepared to help implement the Strategy. So large projects have not been implemented in Uzbekistan, and even on a global scale this is a significant amount. A project with such a large amount of financing for agriculture, according to Sergei Zorya, became possible only due to the fact that in Uzbekistan the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture was adopted.