Mirziyoyev Orders Solutions to Business Problems in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed preparations for the sixth open dialogue with entrepreneurs and ordered specific solutions to systemic problems hindering business development, the Presidential press service said.

A republican headquarters has been operating since 15 May to prepare for the upcoming open dialogue. It includes representatives of more than 50 ministries and agencies. The headquarters receives appeals from entrepreneurs through a call center and official bots.

About 6,000 appeals have been received so far, of which more than 4,200 have already been resolved positively. The review of nearly 1,800 appeals is ongoing.

As part of the preparations, responsible organizations held more than 750 meetings attended by over 8,800 entrepreneurs. More than 3,500 proposals and pressing issues were raised during the meetings.

The Business Ombudsman and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized more than 130 meetings attended by over 5,700 entrepreneurs. They raised about 1,500 issues. Proposals for their systemic resolution and improvements to legislation are being developed jointly with relevant ministries and agencies.

A survey was also conducted among 5,072 entrepreneurs from all regions of the country. The study examined business performance, investment and infrastructure, tax administration, foreign trade, and judicial and legal matters. Domestic private enterprises accounted for 93% of respondents. The participants represented trade, services, industry, construction and agriculture.

The survey showed that businesses have opportunities to increase labor productivity and reduce costs. Companies that have introduced digital platforms, artificial intelligence, energy-saving technologies, new products and modern production methods have higher sales, competitiveness, wages and investment indicators.

At the same time, only 11.6% of businesses are implementing measures to improve efficiency in three or more areas. Another 28.5% have taken none of these measures. At 51% of businesses, no new products, services or innovations have been introduced recently, and no modernization has been carried out.

Over the past year, 40% of businesses made no investments, while 29% have no investment plans for the coming year. Entrepreneurs cited high interest rates on loans, undervaluation of collateral, the large number of required documents and lengthy loan processing times among the main obstacles.

Problems also persist with production costs. According to the survey, 38% of businesses had taken no measures to reduce costs, while costs for goods and services had increased at 53% of businesses. The main reasons cited were higher raw material prices and increased energy and logistics costs.

In addition, 43% of businesses had taken no energy-saving measures, while 49% did not use renewable energy sources.

Entrepreneurs also pointed to infrastructure problems, including frequent disruptions, low voltage and pressure, as well as issues related to limits and tariffs.

In tax administration, respondents highlighted problems with inspections and value-added tax refunds. At the same time, 94% of entrepreneurs gave a positive assessment of the impact of the sustainability rating on business activities.

Foreign trade is conducted by 22.3% of the businesses that participated in the survey. Among the main obstacles to exports, they cited finding foreign customers, product certification, logistics, financial instruments and customs procedures, as well as a lack of information about foreign markets and marketing skills.

In the judicial and legal sphere, entrepreneurs positively assessed access to qualified legal assistance and the transparency of public procurement. At the same time, 73% of respondents said bureaucratic procedures had a negative impact on enforcement proceedings.

Following the discussion, the president instructed officials to conduct an in-depth analysis of appeals and survey results by region and sector. Particular attention was ordered to be given to improving business efficiency, introducing innovative and energy-saving technologies, credit and infrastructure issues, tax administration, support for exporters and strengthening legal protection for entrepreneurs.

A separate task was set to identify a specific solution, implementation mechanism, responsible officials and deadlines for every issue that will be raised during the open dialogue.