Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan plans to introduce an annual quota of 300,000 tonnes for white sugar imports and provide tax incentives to domestic sugar producers, Spot reported, citing Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 417 dated 31 July 2026. The resolution has not been published in the national legislation database Lex.uz.
The quota will be divided equally among manufacturers of beverages, confectionery and other food products, with 100,000 tonnes allocated to each group. The Cabinet of Ministers will approve the quota for the following year in November, based on proposals from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee, and the National Statistics Committee.
The quota may be revised every six months, taking into account domestic consumption, production capacity utilisation, and import and domestic prices.
Quotas will be allocated through electronic online auctions. The system is scheduled to launch by 1 December 2026 and will be integrated with the Customs Committee’s Single Window system. Auction results will be published publicly.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has been instructed to prepare amendments to the Tax Code within one month. Under the proposal, domestic sugar producers would be exempt from corporate income tax until 1 January 2031, while their property tax rate would be set at 50% of the standard rate. The companies would be required to use the resulting savings exclusively to repay loans.
The repayment period for sugar producers’ debts to Uzpromstroybank will be extended to five years, including a grace period of up to two years. Payment schedules and interest rates will be revised in line with the bank’s current tariffs. Producers must also fully recover their accounts receivable by the end of 2026. The resolution provides for attracting US$50 million in foreign direct investment to support the companies.
From 1 August 2026 to 1 August 2031, the Entrepreneurship Development Company will reimburse 50% of interest expenses on foreign-currency loans used to import raw materials, subject to a maximum of five percentage points. The measure will cover loans taken by domestic sugar producers regardless of their credit ratings or classifications, including loans with overdue payments.
From 1 January 2027, state organisations and state-owned enterprises will be required to give priority to purchasing white sugar from domestic producers. All sugar produced by local plants will be sold through the commodity exchange, while exports will be permitted without restrictions. Producers will be able to obtain certificates confirming the domestic origin of their products free of charge and be included in the Register of Local Products and Manufacturers.
The resolution also tightens financial oversight of sugar producers. Companies are advised to appoint financial directors from among bank representatives, granting them the authority to block decisions that could worsen a borrower’s financial position. Available funds must be used for early debt repayment, and dividend payments will be prohibited until all obligations to the bank have been settled.
Collateral may be transferred to the bank’s balance sheet under several circumstances, including when a company launches projects outside its business plan, increases its debt burden, falls behind on payments or fails to ensure that revenue is deposited into its account with Uzpromstroybank.
The Customs Committee will publish quarterly data on imports of socially significant food products by the 10th day of the month following each quarter. The data will include import volumes, values and average customs values per tonne, broken down by supplier country and importer.
Sugar producers are also advised to engage foreign consultants to develop strategies, conduct audits and prepare financial recovery measures. They are encouraged to digitalise production, introduce a GMS management system and adopt international inventory accounting standards.
The measures also provide for the protection of sugar plants by the Interior Ministry’s security department and round-the-clock video monitoring of production facilities.
