30 July, 2006
Economics
Roundtable considers banking services for small, private businesses
Uzbek carmaker set to expand presence in Ukraine
Textile Expo Uzbekistan 2006 Coming Soon
Asian bank to fund agricultural project in Uzbekistan
Society
Workshop on flour fortification organised for journalists
Contest held to enter Moscow State University's branch
"Ancient Nahshab-Modern Karshi" Exhibition opens
"History of Written Language Culture of Uzbekistan" Exhibition
ECONOMICS
ROUNDTABLE CONSIDERS BANKING SERVICES FOR SMALL, PRIVATE BUSINESSES
Uzbekistan Banking Association (UBA) hosted a roundtable entitled "Current state and perspective of development of banking services market for small and private businesses" on 20 July, the release of UBA said on 27 July.
The event was held within Business Forum on improvement of financial-banking sector of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan. Representatives of businesses, commercial banks, Central Bank, ABU and Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan took part in the event.
The release of UBA said Akhbor-Rating interbank rating company of UBA presented its research on current state of banking services to small and privet businesses and perspective of their development. The research was prepared based on survey of small businesses with staff of up to 50 people and operating in such sectors as industry, trade, transport, communication, construction and services.
The company studied all aspects of banking services for small and private businesses. The company surveyed mainly head of enterprises (over 50% of responders) and head accountants (about 30%).
The UBA said the survey is important due to increasing significance of small and private businesses in economy of Uzbekistan. Over 310,000 small and private businesses worked in Uzbekistan in 2005 or their number increased by 31,500 year-on-year. Small businesses employ over 6.6 million people or 65% of all employed in economy. The share of sector in GDP made up 38.2% and the Uzbek government plans to increase this figure to 45% in near future.
The meeting noted that the banking services are improving and trust of people to banking sector is increasing due to recent measures, the release said. The document said this can be observed in improvement of situation on withdrawal of cash from deposits, expansion of banking infrastructure, improvement of access to credit resources and liberalization of currency operations.
The release said the small businesses and commercial banks discussed issues on further improvement of banking services. The meeting developed practical recommendations on improvement of banking services and introduction of new products.
UZBEK CARMAKER SET TO EXPAND PRESENCE IN UKRAINE
It has been just ten years since the first car was taken down the production line at the UzDaewooAuto automobile manufacturing plant in the town of Asaka in Andijan Province, but now the Uzbek-made cars have claimed strong positions at the markets of many countries, including the Ukraine.
Uzbek-Ukrainian Joint Venture UkrUzAuto is said to have been operating in the Ukraine for more than five years now.
Rapid growth of sales volume (against the same period last year it has accounted for over 90 percent) allows speak about the Ukraine as the fastest developing automobile market of Europe.
At the moment, three UzDaewooAuto car sales saloons operate in the country and two of them – in the capital of Kiev. Uzbek car manufacturers plan are reported to have been planning to launch several more representative offices in two regional centers in the country.
Efficient balance between the price and quality of product as much as quality services at the market ensured success of Uzbek carmakers. In this, the well-elaborated marketing policies have come no less important factor. Successful participation of the car plant at the 14th Kiev International Auto-show “SIA 2006” is one of the examples of the said progress.
While cementing such success, on the eve of tenth anniversary of the Asaka plant the joint delegation of Uzbekistan Embassy in Kiev and UkrUzAuto joint venture visited Zaporozhie Region – the largest industrial area in the Ukraine.
While meeting the Uzbek delegation the head of Zaporozhie city administration Mr. E.Kartashov said he was profoundly interested in further strengthening friendship, mutually beneficial ties and increase of trade through supply of Uzbek cars to the local market.
“Expansion of investment cooperation is a promising direction,” – Mr.Kartashov also said, “and establishment of car sales saloon with all necessary infrastructure, which would include restaurant of Uzbek cuisine and technical services station, could well serve as an initial step in this”.
He has confirmed that he stood ready to allocate 0,5 hectares of land for these purposes.
“Uzbek car making plant is a good example for the Ukrainian automobile producers to look at,” – Mr. N.Evdokimenko, the Director General of “ZAZ” car plant, said, “since it has achieved a profound success for over short period of time”.
TEXTILE EXPO UZBEKISTAN 2006 COMING SOON
UCMTF, the French Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association, organized the first national pavilion at Textile Expo Uzbekistan in 2005.
This year September, it will be done again but on a larger scale. Rieter Filament Yarn Technologies and Ebelmann will join Fil Control and Laroche in the French pavilion organized by UCMTF with the help of the French Embassy. As for UCMTF’s members Staubli and Superba, they will be showing on the booth of their agent, Textima.
In between the two shows, UCMTF and the French companies have been quite active on this promising market. They initiated a close partnership with the Textile Institute of Tashkent and organized a visit for industrialists and a delegation of officials including the Uzbek Ambassador and the Commercial Attach?. A tour of several industrial sites around France and a reception in Paris were particularly appreciated.
Uzbekistan, in Central Asia, is a fast growing country with a long history of textile. One of the main cotton producers and the second world exporter of this fibre, it includes such mythic places as Samarkand, on the Silk road, and Boukhara where wool carpets are second to none. Since the independence in 1991, private enterprise is promoted as well as foreign investments. To process the national production of cotton is a major goal to bolster the textile industry and the economy at large.
ASIAN BANK TO FUND AGRICULTURAL PROJECT IN UZBEKISTAN
Two ADB loans totalling more than US$60 million will help Uzbekistan farmers boost their incomes by addressing some of the country's worsening land degradation problems.
The project will tackle land degradation in about 162,300 hectares of irrigated land in nine districts of three provinces - Bukhara, Kashkadarya, and Navoi. These areas, where crop yields reportedly have declined by 30% since 1991, suffer the most serious forms of land degradation, directly affecting about 1.4 million rural people.
Poor water management, deteriorating irrigation and drainage systems, and policies that reduce incentives to invest in land improvement are seen to be causes of the problem.
"Land degradation is a serious economic, social, and environmental problem in Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia," says Plamen Bozakov, an ADB Water Resources Specialist. "It directly affects livelihoods in rural areas by reducing land productivity and causing massive losses in agriculture."
The project aims to improve land reclamation practices and set up three farms to demonstrate innovative farm technologies and enhanced agronomic practices. It will also rehabilitate drainage and irrigation to improve water control and efficiency.
Institutions at all levels - central, provincial, and community - will be strengthened so they can better address land degradation issues. The project will also promote policy reforms to help increase farmers' incentives to raise land productivity and invest in land, as well as improved rural governance.
ADB is lending US$32.6 million from its ordinary capital resources (OCR) and US$27.6 million from its concessional Asian Development Fund (ADF). The OCR loan carries a 25-year term, including a grace period of 5 years, and an interest rate to be determined. The ADF loan carries a 32-year term, including a grace period of 8 years, and an interest charge of 1% per year during the grace period, and 1.5% per year thereafter.
The Government and project beneficiaries will contribute about US$16 million equivalent towards the project's estimated total cost of US$76.18 million. For the technical assistance project, the Government will contribute US$200,000 in the form of office space, logistical support, and counterpart staff.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources is the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion in September 2012.
SOCIETY
WORKSHOP ON FLOUR FORTIFICATION ORGANISED FOR JOURNALISTS
A two-day workshop for the regional journalists intended to improve their elucidation of the National Flour Fortification Programme will be held on 6-7 September 2006 in Tashkent.
The goal of the seminar is to improve journalists' knowledge about the problem of micronutrient deficiency, flour fortification and fortified bred production processes, quality control and assessment of project results.
In the course of the training, journalists will gain theoretical knowledge about the problem, and visit the Center of Anemia under the Scientific-Research Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfer, flour mills, Don Mahsulotlari (Wheat Products) Scientific-Production Center, bread bakeries and other objects.
Along with gaining knowledge on the issue, journalists will develop the plan of elucidating the positive effects of fortified flour on the population's health. The journalists of 30 regional and 10 national media outlets will participate in the seminar.
CONTEST HELD TO ENTER MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY'S BRANCH
Contenders, who successfully passed examinations for studying in the Lomonosov Moscow State University's branch in Tashkent are much more, than places, the executive director of the branch Rahmatullo Aloyev has reported in connection with the end of admission examinations and the beginning of registration of contracts with the future students.
Interest in the Lomonosov Moscow State University's branch in the republic turned out very big. Thus, 932 applications by entrants from all regions of Uzbekistan have been received for 80 places, 40 of which, under the plan are designated for faculties of numerical mathematics and cybernetics and 40 for [the faculty of] psychology.
On the results of entrance examinations, 55 school-leavers passed with positive marks to the department of psychology, and 68 entrants to a department of the faculty of numerical mathematics and cybernetics. The best entrants will be enrolled as students.
The enrollment in the rank of the students of the MSU is carried out by the central admission board of the MSU following the completion of the formulation of contract and enumeration of money prior to the beginning of the academic year.
Before each examination, examiners from Moscow, sent from the Moscow State University for conducting examinations at the Palace of Culture of the National University of the Republic Uzbekistan held open dialogues with entrants and answered all questions interesting for them. Professional detailed consultations were given. The appeal commissions worked after announcement of results of each examination.
The branch of the Lomonosov Moscow State University was opened in Tashkent in accordance with a decision of the president, Islam Karimov, in 2001, who had been elected as an honourable professor of the Moscow State University. The reception of documents started on 20 June - 1 July at the National University named after Ulughbek from entrants, wishing to study at faculties of psychology and applied mathematics and Informatics of the Moscow State University's branch, which will start its work in Uzbekistan in a new academic year. The first 80 students will study in the branch from 1 September, although the educational establishment itself will be designed for 1,000 students in view of Bachelor's degree, Master's Degree department, postgraduate studies and doctoral studies. The building of the future Tashkent branch of the Moscow State University will be located in city centre near the Automobile Highway Institute.
"ANCIENT NAHSHAB-MODERN KARSHI" EXHIBITION OPENS
"Ancient Nahshab – Modern Karshi" is the title of the exhibition being held on the occasion of the 2,700th anniversary of the city of Karshi.
Being held at Tashkent House of Photography, the gallery has opened today, 28 July and will close on 18 August.
Among the organizers of the exposition are Tashkent House of Photography and International Caravanserai of Culture of the Arts Academy of Uzbekistan, as well as State History Museum of Uzbekistan. The organizers issued archaeological items (antique and medieval ceramic ware, etc), folk decorative-applied art objects and pictures.
"HISTORY OF WRITTEN LANGUAGE CULTURE OF UZBEKISTAN" EXHIBITION
An exhibition entitled "History of Written Language Culture of Uzbekistan" organised on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the country's independence has opened at the State Museum of Timurids' History.
The author of the project is the Candidate of Historical Studies, Chairman of the Republican UzbekMuseum Foundation N. Habibullaev.