STRATEGIC CHALLENGES:
An important factor in ensuring agricultural competitiveness is the development of more integrated and efficient value chains. The current high costs for collection, transportation, storing, processing, packaging and certification of products from the field to final consumers significantly reduces the competitiveness and profitabllity of Uzbek agri-food producers and processes.
The low level of development of the food industry limits the capabllities for increasing the volume of production of high value-added products. ln order to attract investment in agri-food market infrastructure there is а need to develop new financial instruments, improve the business climate and design targeted measures aimed at expanding the agri-food processing sector and promoting the development of more integrated and accessible value chains.
ln recent years, some small-scale producers have actively invested in modern storage facilities and processing equipment, supported bу various sources of financing, including subsidized credit lines from international financial institutions. Despite such investments, most small-scale producers remain largely isolated from processing enterprises and exporting organizations. This is in part due to the lack of effective mechanisms available to encourage small-scale producers to form farmer groups, thereby limiting economies of scale and inhiblting opportunities for their integration into value chains.
There is also а shortage of laboratories, wholesale markets and logistics centers that meet the requirements of international standards and quality requirements, as well as equipment at customs and border points for phytosanitary control of horticulture products. This, in turn, prevents the increase in the volume of manufactured and sold products, the growth of value added and diversification of product types and export geography.
lt is also necessary to ensure the safety and quality of agricultural and food products bу bringing the national legal framework for sanitary and phytosanitary controls in line with the requirements of the World Trade Organization and the standards of target international markets. ln addition, partnerships between traders, processors and exporters with dekhkan farms and owners of household plots, which account for more than 70% of gross agricultural output, need to be further developed.
