EU allocates €6 million for Uzbekistan’s agricultural development
On April 25, the European Union allocated €6 million (nearly 82 billion soums) to the Government of Uzbekistan as the country has made progress in agricultural reforms and maintains a stable macroeconomic outlook.
The €6 million grant contributed to the adoption of the National Strategy for Food Security and Healthy Nutrition and program budgeting guidelines. In addition to the grant, technical assistance funded by the European Union has helped the Ministry of Agriculture to plan reforms.
More grants are expected this year and next year, as the agreement between the European Union and the Government of Uzbekistan provides for a total of 20 million Euros to support the implementation of the National Strategy for Agricultural Development for the period 2020-2030. The main objective is to support the transition to a market-oriented and sustainable agricultural sector that provides more jobs and income for the Uzbek population and increases access to safe and nutritious food.
“The agro-industrial sector is critical to Uzbekistan’s economy and is a major source of employment. In addition, family farms produce most of the meat and vegetables consumed by Uzbek citizens. Therefore, we are focusing on those reforms that allow these dekhan farms to thrive, adapt to a changing climate, protect the environment, produce healthy food, and become part of local and global value chains. The grant funding, together with other European Union initiatives such as GSP+, will also help to increase exports to the European Union,” emphasizes Charlotte Adrian, European Union Ambassador to Uzbekistan.
A sustainable agro-industrial sector is one of the three strategic priorities of the European Union’s Multi-Year Indicative Program for Uzbekistan (2021-2027). Other priorities cover good governance and inclusive, green and digital growth. Since 2021, the program has already allocated almost 76 million euros (almost 1 trillion soums) to Uzbekistan.
The European Union is leading the way in providing grants to Uzbekistan’s agro-industrial sector. In addition to the €20 million in grants to be disbursed, the European Union has already supported €32.5 million in reforms for the sector between 2020 and 2023.