Uzbekistan plans to import 100,000 head of cattle and 150,000 sheep and goats by the end of 2026. The instruction follows a 6–8% rise in meat prices during the spring and early summer.
An agricultural census conducted at the start of the year found that the cattle population was 2.1 million head below the previous statistical estimate. The number of sheep and goats was 1.5 million lower.
In Kashkadarya region, the discrepancy amounted to 171,000 cattle and 288,000 sheep. The identified shortage left the market with 50,000 tonnes less meat and 120 million litres less milk.
The Agricultural Fund has allocated UZS 1 trillion for preferential loans to livestock projects. The Fund for Reconstruction and Development will provide an additional $50 million for the same purpose.
The loans will carry a 10% annual interest rate and a 10-year term, including a four-year grace period. Up to UZS 5 billion will be available for opening a livestock farm and up to UZS 20 billion for establishing a breeding operation.
Benefits and subsidies for importing meat by air will remain in place through the end of 2026. The measures are intended to increase supply on the domestic market.
Officials were also instructed to address problems in the potato market. Farmers were unable to sell 325,000 tonnes of potatoes because of disruptions to intervention purchases, and the crop is to be bought for the state reserve at favourable prices and released during shortages.
By the end of the year, the government plans to launch 340 refrigerated warehouses with total capacity of 87,000 tonnes. Regional governors were also told to accelerate the build-up of food reserves to UZS 500 billion.
