Uzbekistan to create a national brand of facing stones

In Uzbekistan, by March 1, 2019, a national brand and catalog of natural facing stones, found on the territory of the republic, will be created, Kun.uz correspondent reports referring to a governmental decree.

The JSC "Uzqurilishmateriallari" will deal with this work.

President Mirziyoyev has instructed the government to approve a plan of measures for deep processing of non-metallic minerals and increase the volume of exports of finished products made from non-metallic minerals by the end of February next year based on a study of the external market conditions.

In addition, a special governmental resolution will be adopted. It determines the order of widespread use of building materials, including natural facing stone produced from local non-metallic materials, at construction sites financed by the State budget and centralized sources, as well as the procedure for evaluating non-metallic minerals in cases of their illegal mining.

Another interesting innovation is the provision of benefits for all economic entities licensed to extract natural facing stone (marble, granite, travertine, limestone) and the right to use techno-genic mineral formations until January 1, 2022.

The list of benefits includes:

•  exemption from customs fees for imported equipment and special technology not produced in Uzbekistan for their own production needs. It should be intended for the extraction and processing of natural facing stones, as well as for processing of techno-genic mineral formations of natural facing stones according to the established order;

•  reduction by two-fold the established rate of income tax for legal entities engaged in the extraction and processing of natural facing stones, as well as processing of techno-genic mineral formations of natural facing stones.

The document also provides figures indicating a massive plundering of natural resources.

Thus, only in the course of studies conducted in September-November of the current year, facts were revealed on 186 subjects who illegally mined non-metallic mineral resources worth 26.7 billion soums without obtaining a corresponding license.

In addition, 23 entities inefficiently used the subsoil areas and did not fulfill licensing requirements. They were prematurely denied the right to use subsoil areas, consequently, 55.6 million cubic meters and 3.4 million tons of mineral reserves were returned to the state balance.