The European Union granted €6 million to the government of Uzbekistan for agricultural reforms on 19 April, the press service of the EU Delegation in Tashkent reported.
The grant will help to incentivize the adoption of National Food Security and Healthy Nutrition Strategy and Guidelines on Programme Budgeting.
More grants are expected this and next year, as an agreement between the EU and the government of Uzbekistan foresees the disbursement of a total of €20 million to support the implementation of the National Agriculture Development Strategy for 2020−2030.
The overall objective is to support the transition towards market-oriented and sustainable agri-food sector that provides more jobs and incomes to the people of Uzbekistan and increases access to safe and nutritious food.
“The agri-food sector is critical for Uzbekistan’s economy and is a major source of employment. Moreover, family farms produce the majority meat and vegetables consumed by Uzbek citizens. Therefore, we focus on those reforms that enable these farmers to prosper, to adapt to a changing climate, to protect the environment, to produce healthy food, and to become part of local and global value chains. The grant funding together with other European Union initiatives such as GSP+ will also help to boost the exports to the EU,” highlights the EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adriaen.
A sustainable agri-food sector is one of three strategic priorities of the EU Multi-annual Indicative Programme for Uzbekistan (2021−2027). The other priorities cover effective governance and inclusive, green and digital growth. Since 2021, the programme has already allocated nearly €76 million to Uzbekistan.
Earlier, the EU has already supported agricultural reforms with a budget of €32.5 million to the sector between 2020 to 2023.
