Uzbekistan, Italy Expand Agricultural Cooperation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Italy have agreed to expand cooperation in agriculture, accelerate the implementation of joint investment projects, strengthen scientific collaboration and introduce modern technologies.

The agreements were reached during a meeting between Uzbekistan's Minister of Agriculture Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov and Italy's Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida on the sidelines of the 30th session of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.

The ministers discussed expanding bilateral cooperation in agriculture, introducing modern technologies, strengthening scientific cooperation and accelerating the implementation of joint investment projects.

Abdurakhmonov said Uzbekistan is continuing reforms aimed at modernising agriculture, improving production efficiency and advancing the sector's digitalisation. He said the use of advanced Italian expertise and modern technologies is one of the priorities of bilateral cooperation.

The two sides also agreed to explore the introduction in Uzbekistan of the AntiFraud digital system used in Italy in the insurance and payment sectors. The technology is expected to improve the transparency of insurance and financial operations, reduce corruption risks and enhance management efficiency.

The meeting also focused on scientific cooperation. The parties agreed to expand collaboration between the Italian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) and the Academy of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, including joint research projects and exchanges of academic and research staff.

The ministers also discussed accelerating joint projects involving the Italian company Bonifiche Ferraresi and the possible adaptation in Uzbekistan of Italy's Contratti di Filiera and Contratti di Distretto mechanisms used to develop production and supply chains and agro-industrial clusters.

Lollobrigida said the trilateral cooperation format involving Uzbekistan, Italy and Azerbaijan has already produced practical results and offers strong prospects for further development.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their strategic partnership in agriculture, expanding the transfer of innovative technologies, increasing scientific exchanges and accelerating the implementation of joint investment projects.