Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov has said that the country is preparing to launch a large-scale sugar production project as Egypt’s Nile Sugar company plans to invest $450 million in the Jizzakh Region.

The project will be financed through direct foreign investment and will cover the entire production chain-from growing sugar beets to processing them into finished sugar, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

Once operational, the plant is expected to produce up to 200,000 tons of sugar annually, making it one of the largest facilities in the country’s sugar industry.

Minister of Agriculture Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov said that Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has instructed officials to accelerate implementation of the project and keep it under special oversight.

“All necessary documents have been completed, land plots have been allocated, and the investment is ready. We have been tasked with launching the project within tight deadlines,” Abdurakhmonov noted.

Nile Sugar first announced plans to enter the Jizzakh market in July 2023. The project envisions cultivating sugar beets on about 52,000 hectares. In 2024, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture designated 50,000 hectares in the Gallaorol and Farish districts for beet cultivation and allocated 170 hectares for construction of the plant.

Earlier, on January 23, Kudratov met with Emad Farid, CEO of Nile Sugar. The sides signed a final protocol confirming their readiness to continue joint work on preparing and implementing the project.

Officials say the agreements reached will pave the way for practical implementation, support the phased rollout of joint initiatives, and facilitate the local adoption of modern agro-industrial and processing technologies, reinforcing Uzbekistan’s drive toward industrial diversification and food security.