Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Jizzakh region on 8 April. The first point of the trip program was the Basalt Uzbekistan cluster in the Farish district.

Farish is the largest district in the region. However, the efficiency of land use was quite low. Livestock was mainly raised on hills and pastures; there were no industrial enterprises.

Seven years ago, industry came to Farish - the extraction of basalt stone from the Olmossoy deposit began and the production of basalt fiber was established. Based on unique, innovative technologies, the production of reinforcement and mesh, which is important for the construction industry, began.

In January 2019, the head of state visited the enterprise and gave instructions on expanding its activities and product range.

In accordance with this, market demand was analyzed and raw material deposits were studied. The most modern technologies were brought from Germany, France, Italy, and the Czech Republic. As a result, six projects worth a total of US$498 million were implemented on an area of 300 hectares, forming a cluster.

The head of state inspected samples of raw materials and finished products.

The cluster processes 177 thousand tons of basalt stone per year and produces 42 types of products, including special fiber, roving, fiber, reinforcement, composite geogrids, pipes, fabric and thermal insulation boards. In particular, last year 45 thousand tons of products worth 554 billion soums were produced. 80 percent of goods in high demand in the world are exported to the USA, Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

The cluster employs 1.7 thousand people.

As experts note, building materials made from basalt do not rust. They are lightweight, but very durable, resistant to the alkaline environment of concrete mixtures, saline and acid solutions. The use of basalt materials for walls increases strength and provides good thermal insulation. Another important advantage is that they are not flammable. With all these advantages, the products are relatively inexpensive.

Options for using materials in utilities, automotive, textile, oil and gas and other industries were presented.

The President emphasized the need to explain the benefits of basalt materials to entrepreneurs and develop their cooperation. Instructions were given on obtaining quality certificates in new countries, even more active promotion in the foreign market, and establishing interaction with international construction and industrial companies.

Next year, one of the cluster enterprises, Basfiber Trade, plans to create capacity to produce 25 thousand tons of basalt fiber and fabric per year. So far, equipment worth US$145 million has been imported. The new project, in addition to meeting domestic needs, will allow 90 percent of products to be exported.

The responsible persons were tasked with placing new projects worth US$500 million on the cluster territory to produce 20 types of products with high added value. As a result, another 2 thousand jobs will appear.