A working visit by a working group from Uzbekistan to Italy was held.

As part of the visit, a meeting was held with Naoufel Telahigue, IFAD’s Regional Director for the Near East, North Africa, Europe, and Central Asia (NEN) Division.

At the meeting, an agreement was signed on internships and employment of Uzbekistan’s civil servants within the IFAD system. Grants will also be attracted to create a 66-kilometer green belt against the “Afghan wind” in Surkhandarya region, as well as concessional funds to introduce water-saving irrigation systems using solar panels in Bukhara and Namangan regions.

In addition, agreements were reached to implement a pilot “Digital Villages” project in Syrdarya, Surkhandarya, Namangan, and Bukhara regions, and to establish a permanent working group with IFAD.

Joint projects will be launched with the IFAD Central Asian Regional Office in Tashkent. In particular, to introduce international standards, a project office will be established under the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations, and the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services.

According to IFAD, the implementation of the “Agrobusiness Solutions” project is planned to begin in 2026.

According to the Agency for the Development of Public Service under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as part of the visit, a roundtable discussion was also organized with the participation of the President of the General Confederation of Italian Agriculture (Confagricoltura) and its member companies.

At the meeting with Confagricoltura President Massimiliano Giansanti and representatives of 15 member companies, the investment potential of Namangan, Bukhara, and Surkhandarya regions was presented.

Following the meeting, a project was planned in Uzbekistan to cultivate and dry Italian tomato varieties using organic methods. In particular, the company Bonifica Ferrarizzi expressed its readiness to invest in Namangan region.

An agreement was also reached to organize a visit to Uzbekistan by more than 20 Italian agricultural companies that are members of Confagricoltura in March 2026, and to develop promising investment projects with their participation.

A. Rustamov, UzA