Bashkortostan delegation participates in multi-sector business mission in Uzbekistan

The Bashkortostan delegation participated in an international multi-sector business mission to Uzbekistan to study opportunities for economic development and establish business contacts, the regional government's press service reported.

The delegation includes First Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Congress Activities of the Republic of Bashkortostan Lena Izotova, representative of Bashkortostan to the Russian Trade Mission in Uzbekistan Azat Askarov, director of the Export Support Center of the Republic of Bashkortostan Tatyana Izotova, as well as heads of six enterprises of the republic.

"Uzbekistan is an important trade and economic partner of Bashkortostan. The country is among the top 10 countries of our republic's counterparties and ranks seventh based on the results of nine months of 2024 with a share of 4.5%. All indicators show steady growth," Acting Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Congress Activities of the Republic of Bashkortostan Margarita Bolycheva stressed.

Thus, the mutual trade turnover of the two republics increased by 29.2%, exports by 25.1%, and imports by 67.2% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, supplies of food products and agricultural raw materials increased by 81%, textile products by 60%, and mineral products by 88.1%. Potential areas for joint cooperation are mining, chemical, textile industries, and mechanical engineering. Today, investors from Uzbekistan are already actively involved in creating production facilities in Bashkortostan and contributing to the region's economy.

During this visit, B2B meetings took place, and negotiations were held with Uzbek entrepreneurs, public associations, and government bodies. The members of the Bashkir delegation also met with the acting trade representative of Russia in Uzbekistan, Igor Kamynin, the head of the representative office of the Russian Export Center in Uzbekistan, Pavel Bukhanov, and the head of the Agriculture and Innovations Development Department of Uzbekistan, Jamoliddin Babakhanov.

As Bashinform reported earlier, the export potential of Bashkiria in the agro-industrial complex has increased 13 times over the past 10 years. In 2023, more than 730 thousand tons of agricultural products were sent to the foreign market from the region (+ 78% compared to 2022) for 328 million US dollars at the current exchange rate. The growth compared to the previous year was 112% (2022 - 291.7 million US dollars). Compared to 2013, exports increased 13 times, and the products were sold for 24.9 million dollars. The growth is ensured by increasing the volume of oil and fat products, sugar, oilseeds, and animal feed exports. As of December 1 of this year, republican enterprises exported 530 thousand tons of agricultural products worth 270 million US dollars. More than 65% of shipments are from the oil and fat industry.

Author: Galina Bakhshieva