Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 28 August, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev visited the Uzcharmsanoat Association. During the presentations, the leadership of the Association provided detailed information on the current state and prospects for the development of the leather and footwear industry.

The following data are given: if in 2017, enterprises of the industry implemented 17 projects worth US$18 million and created 800 jobs, then in 2021 there will be 112 projects worth US$202 million with the creation of 12,000 new jobs. Thanks to government support, by 2026 it is planned to implement 555 projects worth over US$1 billion, which will create 50,000 new jobs.

Production volumes showed a similar growth: in 2017, products worth 760 billion soums were produced, in 2021 - for 4.4 trillion soums, and in 2026 it is planned to produce leather and footwear products for 18.6 trillion soums. In terms of exports, growth is also observed - so in 2017, products worth US$105 million were delivered to foreign markets, in 2021 - by US$421 million, and in 2026. industry enterprises intend to export goods worth US$1.2 billion.

In the course of a detailed analysis of the prospects for the development of the leather and footwear and fur and fur industries, problems and proposals were voiced in terms of high-quality procurement of raw materials, optimization of the production process, implementation of projects as part of clusters, in small industrial zones. In addition, the topics of increasing exports of products, improving the system of training and retraining of personnel, participation of enterprises from Uzbekistan in specialized international exhibitions, financing innovative projects in the industry, and creating shopping centers in the country and large wholesale centers abroad were touched upon.

Based on the results of the discussion, the leadership of the Association was instructed to study in detail the issues raised and develop further steps for the integrated development of the industry.