President Mirziyoyev reprimands governors as Q1 targets fall short of projections

The directive was issued during a videoconference held to assess first-quarter (Q1) results and establish priorities for the remainder of the year. The president noted that in numerous instances, local authorities failed to address entrepreneurs’ concerns proactively, allowing local issues to escalate to the national level unnecessarily.

The leadership of several districts, including Nurafshon (Tashkent region), Guzor (Kashkadarya), Narpay (Samarkand), and Urgench (Khorezm), came under intense scrutiny. President Mirziyoyev stated that officials incapable of executing their duties effectively must be promptly reassessed and, if necessary, replaced.

Specific examples of bureaucratic failure were highlighted:

• In Nurafshon, an entrepreneur has been blocked from beginning construction for two years due to local red tape.
• In Guzor, Narpay, Urgench, Yangiyul, and Chinoz, infrastructure projects remain stagnant despite the allocation of dedicated state funds intended to improve the local business climate.

Additionally, governors in Kamashi, Karshi, Mirishkor, Arnasay, and Sharof Rashidov districts face disciplinary measures for failing to meet industrial targets. Penalties will be determined based on the severity of each district's underperformance.

The meeting also addressed industrial and export indicators. Despite an increased domestic copper supply, processing volumes have remained below 6,000 tons per month. Consequently, growth in the electrical engineering sector reached only 7.8%, missing the 11.2% projection, while export targets were met at only 57%.

A particular point of contention was the $100 million allocated to support electrical engineering exports; despite the availability of funds for unsecured working capital loans, banks have yet to issue any financing under the scheme.

The president concluded by instructing officials to engage directly with struggling enterprises to resolve financing constraints and on-site investment issues. The government has set a target to raise industrial output to UZS 25 trillion and exports to $1 billion by the end of Q2.