Uzbekistan is among the top 10 countries in terms of consumption of dairy products - Bakhodir Umirshaykhov
As Bakhodir Umirshaikhov said, Uzbekistan is among the top 10 countries in terms of consumption of dairy products - 252 kg per person (2020 data). For the period 2010-2020, the increase was 46%. In terms of beef consumption, Uzbekistan ranks 115th in the world (41 kg per person), while consumption has increased by 25% over the past decade. Future prospects directly depend on the pace of the country’s entry into the WTO and the industry’s entry into the export development trajectory.
“The analysis we conducted with the support of a joint project of the UN FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development indicates the presence of obvious imbalances in the development of livestock farming in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the necessary feed supply. Thus, in the period from 2010 to 2022, the cattle population increased by 52 percent, the area of available pastures per head from 2000 to 2021 decreased by 2.75 times - from 3.3 to 1.2 hectares,” the speaker noted.
The average milk yield in 2021 reached 2,795 kg per 1 cow - this is a record figure for Uzbekistan, but it is still 10% below the world average. Even among large enterprises, the maximum average annual utilization of milk processing capacity is no more than 70%. To ensure the functioning of the dairy industry, 4 thousand tons of powdered milk were imported in 2022 (translated into milk equivalent - 29 thousand tons). For the production of meat and sausage products in 2022, Uzbekistan imported 8 thousand tons of beef.
“It is important to remember that dairy farming is the only economic activity that provides employment in rural areas all year round!” - commented Bakhodir Umirshaikhov.
According to the speaker, increasing the competitiveness of producers of meat and dairy products in Uzbekistan includes the development of many aspects of production: technology, genetics, competencies, etc. However, Bakhodir Umirshaikhov considers the first and most significant factor for increasing competitiveness in livestock farming to be the provision of feed resources.
According to him, an open exchange of opinions and facts between the business community and the authorities will help identify the specific problems faced by dairy and meat producers in the country. This dialogue will also determine the influx of local investments and investments from WTO countries, competition in the open market.
