President Orders Dismissal of Chairman of “Uzcharmsanoat” Akbar Sultonov

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan has ordered the dismissal of Akbar Sultonov, chairman of the Uzcharmsanoat association.

During a meeting chaired by the President, the association’s leadership was criticized for failing to implement innovations in the industry and for not “getting down to the production level” to monitor processes on the ground.

Out of 972 enterprises engaged in footwear production, 378 have ceased operations, and another 120 are operating at less than half of their capacity.

The sector remains dependent on imported molds, laces, and fittings.

As a result, last year only about 60% of the promised US$250 million in exports was achieved, and the association’s production and export plan for the current year was deemed unsatisfactory.