As earlier reported, Uzbekistan announced 2011 as the Year of Small Business and Private Entrepreneurship. On 7 February 2011, the Uzbek President Islam Karimov approved a state programme “The Year of Small Business and Private Entrepreneurship”.

Asadulla Salimov said the programme envisages implementation of wide complex of measures on creation of maximum favourable conditions for development of small business and private entrepreneurship in the country, including decreasing permission procedures.

He said that the permission procedures decreased over three times in last 6-7 years. Earlier, the entrepreneurs should address about 10 bodies, he added.

Deputy Economy Ministry recalled that currently “single window” scheme operate in Uzbekistan for registration of enterprises. But he added that the businesses should waste time to travel to notary offices for assurance of Constituent documents or to statistics bodies for firm names.

Salimov underlined that soon even these procedures will be offered at the inspections on registration of entrepreneurship at local administrations.

He underlined that number of small enterprises per 1000 habitants in Uzbekistan makes up 15 units, while this figure reaches 10 in Russia and 4 in Kazakhstan.

According to the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, number of small enterprises and microfirms in Uzbekistan grew from 224,232 units in 2009 and 231,717 units in 2010, or grew by 3.34%.

Salimov also stated that the commercial banks of Uzbekistan are planning to increase the volume of small and private business crediting due to own resources by 30% year-on-year to 3.6 billion soums in 2011.

At the same time, he added that the banks are also planning to attract credit lines of international and foreign financial institutions for financing small and private businesses in 2011. He said that the volume of the credit lines will increase from US$50 million in 2010 to US$94 million in 2011.

The Uzbek official said that now commercial banks, which attracted resources of foreign institutes, set their margin not higher than 2%.

He said that the small and private businesses will receive several preferences during inspections. He recalled that currently enterprises are inspected one each four year. He said the government develops mechanism, which will provide three year extension for inspection.

Salimov underlined that if the enterprise submits reports and pays taxes in time, as well as increases by 50%, than the business will receive three year extension for inspection. Thus, the enterprise will not be inspected for seven years.

At the same time, it is planned to limit inspection period to 30 days and controlling bodies will have no chance to prolong its term, he said.

The Uzbek official said that the government will also adopt measures on promotion of small businesses’ products to external markets. Salimov said that Uzbekistan will create “single window” scheme for exporters at customs bodies, where they can register export contracts, rent railway cars, etc.

At the same time, he added that foreign companies under the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade will create special departments, which will promote goods of small businesses to foreign markets.