Tashkent hosted the Uzbekistan – Czech Business Forum. Members of the delegation of the Czech Republic, led by the Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný, foreign and domestic experts, representatives of the business community, and scientists attended the event.

There are about 50 enterprises with Czech capital in Uzbekistan. Thanks to Uzbekistan’s accession to the European Union’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+), the trade turnover increased two and a half times in January-August this year.

The parties discussed current issues such as the international food safety standard, the monitoring system for the production process in agriculture, and ensuring environmental and food safety.

The need to develop programs for growing and processing crops, forming a coordinated scheme of direct mutual supplies, and an effective logistics system for supplying high-quality and affordable food products was also noted.

At the meeting, a possible recession in the global economy, issues of digitalization of agriculture, and attracting investment in transport and alternative energy were analyzed. Particular attention was paid to the execution of tasks to implement the experience of creating international financial centers, transforming state-owned enterprises, and developing e-commerce in agriculture.

– Together with our colleagues, we have identified the most important issues relating to the industry, specific areas that we should implement together, – said Mr. Výborný. – Uzbekistan is a country with high potential. Today we not only exchanged opinions, but also decided on specific projects that we will implement in the future. In particular, we signed a bilateral memorandum, which also implies cooperation in the scientific field. Many Uzbekistan students are studying in the Czech Republic, so we have reached important agreements with scientific institutions in the agricultural sector.

During the event, delegation members got acquainted with the investment potential of Uzbekistan and the major projects being implemented. In addition, priority areas for the digitalization of agriculture and developing a new large-scale cooperation program have been identified.

B2B meetings were held as part of the forum.

[gallery-13956]

Guzal Sattorova, UzA