Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan held the session on 21 January 2011 to discuss social-economic development in 2010 and important priorities of economic programme in 2011.

President Islam Karimov said: “Our great achievement is that role of small business and private entrepreneurship in GDP and economy is increasing. If the share of this sector in economy was about 31% in 2000, it reached 52.5% in 2010.”

Uzbek leader Islam Karimov said that it is planned to increase the share of this sector in GDP of Uzbekistan to 54% in 2011.

Speaking about support to this sector, President underlined that the volume of loans, issued to small businesses, rose 1.4 times to 2.7 trillion soums, including microloans – 485 billion soums (1.5 times up year-on-year).

He added that it is necessary to increase the volume of loans of commercial banks to this sector should be increased by 1.3 times in 2011.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov also underlined about the role of small and private businesses in creation of new jobs. He said that 65% of jobs, created in 2010, fell to share of small business and farms. Number of jobs created in 2010 made up 950,000.