Uzbekistan set to reform the national postal system

According to the presidential press service, JSC Uzbekiston Pochtasi has more than 2 thousand branches throughout the country, where 7 thousand employees work. However, due to a lack of attention to their development, the popularity of postal services has declined.

In particular, 1,300 offices have been closed in the last five years. Last year, the national system received only 10 percent of the 6,000 tons of parcels sent from abroad and 30 percent of the courier services.

“In this regard, the situation on the ground was studied and, together with experts from the Asian Development Bank, proposals were developed to reform the postal system. Plans were presented at the meeting for the implementation of these proposals on the example of post offices in Sergeli (Tashkent), Yangikurgan (Namangan region) and Tashkent districts,” the press service reported.

Mirziyoyev stressed that in order to develop the postal system, it should generate income. It was suggested that the income of post offices could be increased through partnerships with private operators and the introduction of additional services.

E-commerce, for example, is now actively developing, as services for the delivery of goods purchased via the Internet are in demand. In addition, the international shipping companies operating in our country do not have regional branches. These and other opportunities can be cashed in by simply arranging the delivery of postal items and products to the final recipient.

“The main task of the postal sphere is to shorten distance and ease difficulties,” said the President.

The meeting also discussed testing of the system in the districts and to launch it from March 1 of the following year in regional centers and from July 1 – throughout the country, establishing an information system that will automate the receipt, sorting and tracking of shipments online.

The launch of a national online trading platform is another plan before the end of the current year. Through this system, entrepreneurs will place their products and the national operator will deliver them to the addressee. Uzbekiston Pochtasi will act as a guarantor in the transaction between buyer and seller. To this end, Tashkent will establish a logistics center next year, as noted at the meeting.

“Another source of income for the sector can be the provision of basic public services in post offices. In this regard, the task was set to organize the supply of 13 types of public services in 300 branches of Uzbekiston Pochtasi in remote areas. Shavkat Mirziyoyev ordered to introduce such banking services as cash collection and operations with bank cards in the post offices of Sergeli, Yangikurgan and Tashkent districts,” the press service said.

Over the past four years, the volume of distribution of print media in the Uzbekiston Pochtasi system has decreased threefold, its share in the total volume of press delivery is 13 percent.

Responsible executives were tasked with developing a press distribution system and establishing online subscriptions for the development of periodicals.

Attention was paid to issues of personnel retraining for the arrangement of new types of postal services, to the use of post office buildings in a public-private partnership.