Uzbekistan, FAO sign $17 million co-op program

Agriculture Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjayev held talks in Budapest with the FAO Assistant Director-General Vladimir Rakhmanin and the Sub-Regional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Uzbekistan Viorel Gutu. The meeting was organized on the sidelines of the Uzbekistan – Hungary Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

At the meeting, the sides expressed mutual interest in strengthening cooperation and discussed priority areas of collaboration.

Building on the long-standing bilateral relations, FAO and Uzbekistan signed the Country Programme Framework for 2021-2025, which gives impetus and further guidance to the partnership.

In line with national SDG priorities, FAO’s activities under this CPF will support the Government in its efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda in order to help Uzbekistan achieve a sustainable food system. The total resource budget for implementation of the CPF is expected to be approximately $17 million.

Along with this, new project agreements in the following areas were signed between the Agriculture Ministry of Uzbekistan and FAO:

• Recovery and development of the potato sector in response to COVID-19;
• Strengthening sustainable food systems through geographical indications;
• Rice Crop Production and Management Support;
• Support in the implementation of inclusive agricultural policies.

New projects with a total budget of more than $500,000 are planned to be implemented in the next two years.

#FAO #agriculture #Budapest