Chelyabinsk Region Expands Agricultural Exports to Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Chelyabinsk region intends to expand its supplies of agricultural and food products to Uzbekistan, Deputy Governor and Minister of Agriculture Alexey Kobylin stated during a meeting with a delegation from the Jizzakh region at the regional government offices.

According to the meeting, after a slight decline in 2025, trade between Uzbekistan and the Chelyabinsk region is once again increasing.

Compared with the same period in 2024, by mid-September, the turnover of food products between the two sides grew by 33.6%, reaching US$32.3 million. Exports from Chelyabinsk to Uzbekistan increased by 1.2% to US$7.8 million, while imports from Uzbekistan rose by 48.6% to US$24.5 million.

“Chelyabinsk is actively participating in the national project ‘International Cooperation and Export’ and ranks first in the Ural Federal District in terms of agricultural exports,” Alexey Kobylin noted. “Since 2018, the region’s food exports to the global market have grown 2.5 times. Our leading producers are ready to increase supplies to Uzbekistan, especially given the interest from the Uzbek side. At the same time, it is important to address tariff reduction for transit through Kazakhstan or the use of re-export with lower customs duties.”

In 2025, Chelyabinsk agricultural producers increased shipments of vegetable oil by 13%, flour threefold, grains and bakery products by 12–20%, and sausages by 14%.

Major exporters include leading food industry enterprises such as Sigma, Sitno, Makfa, and Soyuzpishcheprom. Sigma has increased sunflower oil supplies to Uzbekistan by almost 30% this year and plans to build an oil extraction facility to raise exports to 1,000 tons annually.

In 2024, Makfa became the number one brand in Uzbekistan in the “Pasta” category according to the Brand Awards 2024 International. Soyuzpishcheprom supplies a wide range of products, including plant-based drinks, flour, pasta, cereal flakes, crispbreads, and sunflower oil.

Tavria is prepared to expand meat product deliveries, while Sitno plans to increase supplies of wheat flour, pasta, and confectionery, and is considering opening a branch in Uzbekistan. Negotiations are also underway with snack producer Ural Leader Plus, and there are potential collaboration opportunities with other companies, including poultry farms.

From the Uzbek side, vegetable shipments grew by 97% to 26,000 tons; fruit, melons, and nuts more than doubled; pulses tripled; and processed fruits and nuts increased 7.4 times.

The parties also discussed expanding cooperation in agricultural education. Chelyabinsk is ready to create conditions to attract more international students to study at the South Ural State Agrarian University (SUrGAU).