For many years this plant was the only ferrous metallurgy enterprise in the country.
200 new enterprises have been created thanks to the reforms of the last five years. They employ more than 25 thousand people. Last year alone, the industry manufactured products worth 16 trillion UZS. The production of iron and iron products increased by 1.8 times and exceeded 2 million tons.
The scale of creative work and industrialization is growing. Today, all industries use 4 million tons of ferrous metal per year. In particular, in the prime cost of housing construction, the share of costs for metal products is 15 percent, and in mechanical engineering 40 percent.
According to estimates, by 2026 the demand of the economy of Uzbekistan for metal will reach about 6 million tons. In addition, the difficult situation in the global economy, breaks in logistics chains create difficulties for the activities of large metallurgical enterprises.
The Head of the state emphasized that the goal can be achieved only through the accelerated development of our metallurgical production. In this regard, four main tasks are identified.
The first is the guaranteed supply of raw materials to metallurgical enterprises.
The second is to stimulate the creation of metal production enterprises in all regions.
The third is the production of modern metal structures for industries that create high added value.
The fourth is training qualified personnel, the development of science and innovation.
Advisor to the Prime Minister B. Islamov noted that the reserves of iron ore in the country amount to 1 billion 200 million tons.
He reported on the work carried out at new mines, including the Tebinbulak deposit in Karauzak district.
The need for the development of enterprises in the industry and the organization of industrial clusters on their basis was emphasized.
The President spoke with the heads of such enterprises in the regions. He instructed the responsible persons to study their proposals for exemption from customs duties on imported metal raw materials and equipment not produced in Uzbekistan, simplified issuance of work visas to foreign qualified specialists.
In the third direction, the task was set to localize products worth $500 million next year. Responsible persons reported that 204 project proposals had been developed for this. It was determined that to support this direction, guaranteed purchase of new localized products by state enterprises will be established.
To develop education and science in the sphere, the Head of the state proposed to create a Scientific Center for Metallurgy at Uzmetkombinat, a scientific laboratory for ferrous metals at the Geological University, and open technological parks at Navoi Mining and Technology and Tashkent Technical Universities. The need for advanced training of young specialists in prestigious foreign companies and engineering centers was also emphasized.
Hokims of regions, teams of mining and metallurgical plants, entrepreneurs and foreign partners attended the meeting.
