On August 20, the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation to promote agriculture through the Agribusiness Development Program. This is stated in the statement of the Ministry of Agriculture and USAID.
The $18.9 million USAID 2020 project is a five-year project aimed at strengthening agribusiness development initiatives and expanding the gains of the previous Agricultural Value Chain project.
“For more than a decade, USAID has been working with the Uzbek government and private sector to diversify agriculture to create high-value goods,” said Mikaela Meredith, USAID Mission Director in Uzbekistan. This agreement will further strengthen our cooperation in the country and help Uzbek agricultural producers to become more competitive in retail trade, access to local and international markets.
The project aims to improve the information technology and entrepreneurial skills of rural women, help them to open commercial enterprises and find formal employment in local enterprises. As part of the project, the Agribusiness Development Fund has been launched.
During the event, USAID announced an additional $1 million to support women working in agriculture in Uzbekistan. These funds will be used to improve rural women’s information technology and entrepreneurial skills, help them open commercial enterprises and help local businesses find formal employment.
“We appreciate the support of the U.S. government in providing technical assistance to agriculture and developing the capacity of production and sales chains of agro-food systems. We are striving to create a modern system of public administration and a favorable agribusiness environment in agriculture, ”said Jamshid Khodjaev.
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