Uzbekistan Introduces Sugar Import Quota

The resolution provides for an annual quota for the import of white sugar in the amount of 300,000 tonnes. It is planned to distribute this quota among beverage producers, confectionery manufacturers, and other food producers through electronic auctions. The Cabinet of Ministers will approve the quota size for the following year based on proposals from the Ministry of Economic Development and Finance, the Competition Development Committee, and the National Statistics Committee, and then review it every six months.

The auction system is to be launched by December 1, 2026, and linked to the Customs Committee's 'Single Window.' The results of the auctions will be published openly. Local producers are planned to have their loan repayment periods with 'Uzpromstroybank' extended to five years, with a grace period of up to two years. The Entrepreneurship Development Company will also compensate half of the interest expenses on foreign currency loans for raw material imports, but not more than five percentage points.

The Ministry of Economic Development and Finance has been instructed to prepare amendments to the Tax Code: producers are offered to abolish the profit tax and reduce the property tax by 50%. The saved funds must be directed by enterprises toward loan repayment. For government procurement, priority will be given to sugar from local plants, and all their products are planned to be sold through the commodity exchange.