Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan agreed today to expand collaboration to support agricultural development in Uzbekistan. 

USAID, represented by Mission Director Mikaela Meredith, and the Ministry of Agriculture, represented by Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to this effect on August 20, 2021. The objective of the memorandum is to strengthen the cooperation between the agencies in promotion of agricultural development through USAID’s recently launched Agribusiness Development activity.

“For over a decade, USAID has partnered with the government and private sector in Uzbekistan to diversify the agriculture sector toward higher-value commodities,” said Mikaela Meredith, USAID Mission Director in Uzbekistan. “This agreement will give further impetus to our collaborative work in the country and enhance the competitiveness of Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector reaching retailers, domestic and international,” she added.

During the event, USAID announced an additional US$1 million to support rural women in Uzbekistan. These funds will be used to improve rural women’s information technology and entrepreneurship skills, empower them to launch business enterprises, and gain formal employment with local businesses.

Launched in July 2020, USAID’s Agribusiness Development activity is a five-year project aimed at supporting private sector-led growth in Uzbekistan’s agriculture sector by introducing new value-added technologies and management practices across the entire value chain for targeted agricultural commodities. 

These efforts are focused on increasing value-added production within Uzbekistan, engaging women and youth, linking educational institutions with private sector demand, and promoting favorable policies for agriculture. The activity has already started the Agribusiness Development Fund, which will co-finance innovative ideas of private agribusinesses across Uzbekistan.