Uzbekistan and World Bank discuss agricultural sector

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A meeting was held on 13 May in Tashkent between Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov and the World Bank Regional Director for Sustainable Development in Europe and Central Asia Sameh Wahba.

The talks were also attended by World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan Anastasia Alexandrova, Chief Agriculture Economist Pierre Gerber, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Ilkhom Norkulov, and other representatives of both sides.

The parties discussed the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation, with particular attention to the implementation of agricultural projects and issues of efficient water resource management.

During the meeting, they also reviewed measures to improve the efficiency of the agricultural sector, introduce modern agritech solutions, and implement ongoing initiatives in the industry.

The discussion further covered the AgriConnect program, aimed at improving farmers’ and entrepreneurs’ skills, expanding access to financing, and introducing modern solutions to help them enter high-value markets.

A separate focus was placed on the modernization of irrigation infrastructure and the expansion of water-saving technologies, taking into account climate change and the need to increase the resilience of agriculture.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties reaffirmed their intention to continue developing cooperation, improve the effectiveness of existing projects, and advance new initiatives in priority areas.