Businesses in Uzbekistan protest certification delays holding up freezers at customs

On June 27, during a public dialogue organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry with leaders of industry and trade associations, Alfiya Musina, Executive Director of the Uzbek Association of Non-Alcoholic Beverage and Juice Producers (UzBev), highlighted ongoing problems in certifying refrigeration equipment.

She recalled that, under Presidential Decree PF-67, issued on April 18, the mandatory state registration of high-risk products — including display freezers — was canceled and replaced with a declaration of conformity procedure.

“Despite the requirement to cancel certifications and transition to international standards — in particular, allowing manufacturers to self-declare conformity — unfortunately, freezers brought into Uzbekistan by manufacturers for free use by small and medium-sized businesses are still not passing certification. Some goods have been held up for more than three months. This is the peak season — a very hot period,” Musina emphasized.

She added that even with cooperation from the UzEltexSanoat Association and the presence of domestic manufacturers, locally made display freezers do not always meet the needs of businesses.

“There are still some aspects where they fall short. We’re not saying that the display freezers produced by Artel don’t meet our standards, but we have certain requirements and specifications for our equipment — and unfortunately, the quality announced by the manufacturers doesn’t meet them,” said Musina.

According to her, the freezers remain stuck at customs because Uzbekistan’s Agency for Technical Regulation (‘Uzstandart’) claims that the mechanism to implement the decree is not yet in place, and thus they are not clearing the goods.

“We are being told the implementation mechanism for this decree has not yet been developed… ‘Uzstandart’ says the mechanism is still being formed. We are ready to assist in developing the conformity declaration procedure for Uzbekistan, based on international best practices. Our colleagues involved in supporting Uzbekistan’s WTO accession would also welcome this initiative,” Musina added.

Another entrepreneur, who manufactures ice cream, shared a similar complaint — some of their freezers have been held at customs for eight months.

“Our freezers have been stuck for eight months. They’re sitting in storage. We give these freezers to shops for free so they can sell our ice cream. We’re asking for help with this issue,” he said.

Davron Vakhabov, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, responded by saying “responsible agencies will have to answer for this” and wrote directly to Akmal Jumanazarov, head of Uzstandart, demanding clarification for why the presidential decree is not being implemented.

“You’re right — by September, freezers will no longer be needed,” Vakhabov remarked.

In response, the entrepreneur pointed out that the ice cream season — which lasts six months — is already being wasted.

Vakhabov reminded the group that President Mirziyoyev had criticized regulatory bodies, saying:

“If you can’t manufacture such equipment, why are you putting up these barriers?”

The entrepreneur clarified he has no objection to Artel’s freezers, but insisted that the Turkish-made equipment his company uses is superior for his needs.

During the April 18 meeting, President Mirziyoyev criticized the performance of certification agencies, noting that many laboratories fail to meet requirements, and that Uzbekistan’s national standards are not recognized internationally. He also pointed to conflicts of interest, as certification bodies also perform oversight functions.

In addition, businesses are complaining that obtaining sanitary-epidemiological reports for meat and dairy products is taking too long.