Local media has reported that from January – August, Uzbekistan’s exports to its four neighboring countries decreased, compared to the same period in 2023.
According to data from the Statistical Agency data, exports to Kazakhstan dropped from 950 million USD to 872 million USD; to Kyrgyzstan, from 491 million USD to 365 million USD; to Tajikistan, from 389 million USD to 329 million USD, and to Turkmenistan, from 118 million USD to 78 million USD.
The share of Central Asian countries in Uzbekistan’s total foreign trade turnover (FTT) in the first nine months of 2023 was 11.5%. The total FTT was worth 40 billion 45 million USD, of which 4 billion 574.3 million USD were with Central Asian countries. This year, it has decreased to 10.3%, meaning 4 billion 400.6 million USD of FTT of 42 billion 703.3 million USD are with CA countries.
The Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade attributed the drop to an increase Uzbekistan’s exports to international markets with high purchasing power, especially Europe, Arab countries, Southeast Asia, and the Americas, and explained, ” due to diversification, the volume of exports to neighboring countries, which are considered a traditional market, decreased. In particular, the volume of exports to Kazakhstan decreased by 8.3%, to Kyrgyzstan by 25.6%, to Tajikistan by 15.3%, and to Turkmenistan by 36.2%.”
