112 projects with a total cost of 202 million dollars have been implemented

On August 28 of this year, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan-Minister of investments and foreign trade Jamshid Khodjaev visited the Uzcharmsanoat Association. During the visit, the management of the association made presentations on the current state of the leather and shoe industry and the prospects for its further development.

The following information was presented in the presentations: if in 2017 17 projects worth $ 18 million were implemented by industrial enterprises and 800 jobs were created, then by 2021 112 projects worth $ 202 million were implemented with the creation of 12 thousand new jobs. Thanks to state support, by 2026 it is planned to implement 555 projects worth more than $ 1 billion, as a result of which 50 thousand new jobs will be created.

Production volumes also showed a similar growth trend. In 2017, leather and shoe products worth 760 billion soums were released, in 2021-4.4 trillion soums. In 2026, it is planned to produce products of the same type for 18.6 trillion soums. There is also an increase in terms of exports. In 2017, goods worth $ 105 million were delivered to foreign markets, and in 2021- $ 421 million. And in 2026, industrial enterprises intend to export products for $ 1.2 billion.

In the process of a detailed analysis of the development prospects of the leather and footwear industry and the wool and fur industry, problems and proposals for the purchase of high-quality raw materials, optimization of the production process, the implementation of projects in clusters, small industrial zones were expressed. In addition, the topics of increasing product exports, improving the system of training and retraining, participation of Uzbek enterprises in specialized international exhibitions, financing of innovative projects in the industry, the establishment of large wholesale trade centers in the country and foreign countries were touched upon.