Japan Funds Uzbek Project to Strengthen Veterinary Control

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed an official development assistance (ODA) agreement with the government of Uzbekistan for the project “Livestock Development Support and Strengthening Veterinary Control”.

The agreement was signed by Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, and JICA President Akihiko Tanaka, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

The project aims to enhance veterinary control and food safety in Uzbekistan by applying Japanese expertise in animal disease diagnostics and laboratory testing. This initiative will improve livestock sanitation, expand access to financing for farmers and enterprises, and strengthen national food security.

The project features three key components: providing financial support to farmers and livestock enterprises, supplying modern equipment-including chromatograph-mass spectrometers for animal disease diagnostic and food safety centers-and offering advisory services to support equipment procurement, staff training, and improvements in production and management processes.

The loan amounts to 21.368 billion Japanese yen with an annual interest rate of 2.3 per cent for the project and 0.8 per cent for advisory services. The repayment period is 20 years with a six-year grace period, and equipment sourcing is unrestricted. The project is implemented by the Committee for Veterinary and Livestock Development.

The initiative directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goals: zero hunger (Goal 2), decent work and economic growth (Goal 8), and climate action (Goal 13). The project is scheduled for completion by July 2031, with advisory service funding extending beyond that. An international equipment procurement tender will be announced in January 2027, and advisory service invitations, including detailed design planning, are expected in February 2026.