Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Ambassador of Uzbekistan Sardor Rustambayev met in Lisbon with Minister of Agriculture and Food of Portugal Maria do Seu Antunes, Dunyo news agency reported.

The parties discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of agriculture, in particular in the field of animal husbandry, seed production, the establishment of new supply chains, including the production of animal feed, joint scientific research and training of specialists in this field.

The Portuguese side was provided with information on the livestock sector of Uzbekistan, the activities of the State Committee for Veterinary Medicine and Livestock Development, as well as the priorities of the republic in the production of animal feed.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Portugal is the coordinating body in the feed industry. It reports to the Directorate General of Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV), the Directorate of Planning, Policy and General Administration (GPP) and the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), which are represented in all five regions of the country. In addition, there is the Portuguese Association of Animal Feed Producers (IACA), which brings together 58 producers that represent 80% of the feed market.

As a possible area of ​​cooperation, the Portuguese side proposed to find promising, complementary sectors in the field of agriculture and feed production. One of such areas may be the organization of joint production of animal feed from insects. Portugal is a leader in the production of insect protein feed and is ready to consider the possibility of joint production of a joint innovative type of feed, taking into account the current realities.

The possibility of supply and joint production of seeds for fodder crops adapted to different climatic conditions is indicated.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to consider the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding on establishing cooperation in the production of animal feed, as well as establishing interaction between the Samarkand State University of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry and Biotechnology and the Portuguese University of Tras-os Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) in the field of science, education, including short-term and long-term in UTAD for professors and teachers from Uzbekistan.

For a detailed discussion on these issues, the parties agreed to hold a meeting in the format of a videoconference between the relevant structures of the two countries.