Storage of product after harvesting, transportation and supply to consumers were main topics of the seminar, which was held in Ferghana city. Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management of Uzbekistan, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, USAID project Aglinks+ organized the event at the support of the UNDP projects “Support to Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion in Uzbekistan” and “Business Forum of Uzbekistan”.

Representatives of 10 organizations of Namangan region, four of which were included to programme on construction, reconstruction and modernization of cold storages in regions of Uzbekistan for 2012, participated in the event.

Before the seminar, international experts visited object in Turakurgan district of Namangan region, where the UN project “Support to Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion in Uzbekistan” is planning to implement a pilot project on cold storage and gave their recommendations on modernization of cold storage equipment.

At the seminar, businesses exchanged opinion and experience on storage of various fruits and vegetables, produced in Ferghana region. It is expected that practical knowledge received at the seminar will help businesses to improve their activity and quality of products.

Yahyo Tumanov, head of farm “Mehnat Taraqqiyoti” of Namangan region, said that the farm plans to construct cold storage with the capacity of 250 tonnes in 2012. He said that the seminar was useful and will help plan future construction correctly.

During the seminar, the participants discussed trends and perspectives of development of cold chain, reviewed recommended methods of processing products after harvest, packaging, transportation and storage. It was said that in next 3-4 years, the demand for cold storage services will significantly grow.