Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  The Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade (MIIT) of Uzbekistan is actively promoting Uzbek exporters in the European Union markets by leveraging the advantages of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) and organizing visits and business missions to establish direct contacts with European companies.

Uzbek entrepreneurs are making the most of the opportunities provided, significantly increasing export volumes each year. From January to September 2024, goods worth US$1.047 billion were shipped to EU countries, marking a 33% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The leading exports under the GSP+ program include finished knitwear and hosiery products, electrical engineering items, and chemical products.

The organization of visits and business missions by the Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade for heads of enterprises in the leather and textile industries played a crucial role in boosting exports. These missions involved trips to industrial facilities in Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Poland, where negotiations were held with the management of major organizations, companies, and industry associations in these countries.

Uzbek enterprise leaders negotiated with top management from companies such as Alba Tessile, T.I.S., Ametlab, ItalTex, Sartoria La Torre, SI Group, Rossorame, Weitblick, WLL GmbH, El Corte Inglés, Tendam, Gedepsa, and ACIR Southern Europe.

Among the agreements reached were deals for the supply of finished textile products and fabrics, the creation of a joint Italian-Uzbek brand, cooperation with European e-commerce platforms, the establishment of Uzbek trading houses in the EU, and discussions on logistics, storage, certification, and quality control of produced goods.

Similar agreements were made by leather product manufacturers with partners from the EU, including organizations such as CTIC, APIC, Confidustria Toscana Sud, Cámara de Comercio de Valencia, and companies like Aquitex, CEPSA, Alidata, Mapril ION Exchange, VentilaQUA, Desotec, and Jose Maria & Filhos Tanned Group.

Preliminary results of the mission indicate that export figures for the leather industry to Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Austria, and Germany have increased under the signed agreements over the past two months.