16.10.2020

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has chaired a video session to discuss measures to ensure food security and price stability in the domestic market.

The availability and sufficiency of food supplies is instrumental in social stability. To this end, over the past three years, 28 trillion soums of loans have been assigned in Uzbekistan for the development of the food industry, animal husbandry, horticulture and agriculture. In the livestock sector alone, projects worth 11 trillion soums have been realized.

In addition, given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on price dynamics, imports of basic foodstuffs have been exempt from customs duties starting from April this year.

Despite this, prices for meat, eggs, vegetable oil and sugar have risen sharply. For instance, in the world market prices for vegetable oil over the past 9 months grew by an average of 15 percent, the indicator has been 26 percent in Uzbekistan. In foreign markets, sugar fell by 5 percent, whereas in our country it went up by 23 percent in price.

The meeting participants discussed in detail the issues of filling the domestic market with food products and maintaining price stability.

“If we fail to take the essential measures today and change the current system, the situation will prove more complicated in winter and spring. We should swell the supply of foods and hence stabilize prices in the market if we consider people’s interests, especially those of low-income citizens,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev told the officials both in the hall and those connected via videoconference.

The President stressed that every hokim of all levels ought to have accurate calculations on the needs of the local population for meat, eggs, flour, oil, sugar, rice, potatoes, carrots and onions, and have a clear understanding of the sources of supply of these goods for the period through to May next year.

Food security funds will be established in each region, the head of our state informed. The funds are to help local executives, with the engagement of entrepreneurs, arrange the imports of basic types of foods from other regions or abroad when there is shortage. Businesspeople participating in such supplies will receive compensation for interest on the loan from the Entrepreneurship Support Fund.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev indicated the need to enhance the participation of major foreign manufacturers in our local exchanges in order to reduce the cost of imported food products.

The importance of securing regions for each district of Tashkent was noted for the establishment of points of sale for agricultural products throughout the capital city.

The head of our state insisted that hokims of regions, districts, towns and sector leaders report to the population on the food supply systems created on given territorial units, state of affairs and prices in the market.

Hokims of regions reported on their plans for uninterrupted provision of the population with food products in the context of months.