Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In the second quarter of 2024, according to the international Freight Exchange ATI.SU, demand for freight transport from Uzbekistan to other countries has noticeably increased, while interest in delivering goods to the country showed a slight decline.

Changes in Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover structure and exacerbated payment issues of Russian companies to other countries (primarily China) could influence the growth of export transport.

According to the international Freight Exchange ATI.SU, in the second quarter of 2024, the number of transport requests from Uzbekistan increased by 29% compared to the second quarter of 2023 and by 43% compared to the first quarter of 2024. For the first half of 2024, the growth was 13% compared to the same period last year. It is worth noting that from mid-last year to the first quarter of the current year, export road transport to Uzbekistan had been declining.

The Russian direction largely determined this trend, with the number of transport requests within the ATI.SU Freight Exchange increasing by 28% compared to the second quarter of 2023 and by 54% compared to the first quarter of 2024. There was also an increase in requests for delivery to Kazakhstan (+13% compared to the same period last year) and Belarus (+6% compared to the same period last year).

Rates for freight transport in export directions continued to rise in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year and the first quarter.

In contrast, the situation in imports changed in the opposite direction. In the second quarter of 2024, the number of requests for goods delivery to Uzbekistan through the ATI.SU Freight Exchange decreased by 17% compared to the same period last year and by 27% compared to the first quarter of the current year. Here, the Russian direction largely influenced the overall picture (-19% compared to the second quarter of 2023 and -24% compared to the first quarter of 2024). Demand for transport from Kazakhstan remained at approximately the same level, while Belarus unexpectedly showed even greater decline (-48% compared to the first quarter of 2024).

The growth in demand for automotive transport from Uzbekistan can be explained by changes in the structure of Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover. According to statistics agency data for the first 5 months, exports of goods increased by 1.9%, with a notable increase of 33.4% to Russia.

Overall, import volume also showed positive dynamics (+3.7%), largely due to increased supplies of energy resources (oil, gas, coal, electric power), which are not transported by road. Import of food, non-food raw materials, chemicals, and other goods, including by automotive transport, decreased.

"In addition to changes in the country’s foreign trade turnover, the trend of increasing export road transport can be influenced by the payment situation and the associated temporary restructuring of supply chains.

"In the second quarter, Russian companies faced intensified problems with transferring funds to other countries, primarily to China. Unable to directly order products from China, Russian customers may have partially switched to transportation from other countries, including Uzbekistan," commented Farid Vakhidov, Director of the ATI.SU Freight Exchange representative office in Uzbekistan.

Regarding domestic transport, data from the ATI.SU Freight Exchange shows a multiple increase in the number of transport requests, largely associated with the development of the Exchange itself in Uzbekistan.