Head of the Department of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya Regional Administration Shahrier Toshmurod Khamzaev has announced that Kashkadarya Region plans to deepen cooperation with Belarus’ Vitebsk Region in the field of food security and launch a major beef production project.

The delegation from Kashkadarya Region visited northern Belarus from March 11-13 to strengthen ties and explore opportunities in the agro-industrial sector, The Caspian Post reports via Belarusian media.

The visit focused on the Vitebsk Region’s agriculture and food processing industries, including the operations of local farms and processing enterprises, aiming to exchange best practices and identify potential investment and cooperation projects.

To this end, the delegation visited the Vitebsk Meat Processing Plant and the Vitebsk Broiler Poultry Farm, as well as several agricultural enterprises in the Sharkovshchina and Hlybokaye districts, to study their operations and best practices.

“We have come to deepen our collaboration with Vitebsk Region in the field of food security. We know that products from across your country-and especially from Vitebsk-are highly valued and in strong demand worldwide. On our side, there is great interest in importing your meat products, including poultry, dairy, and baby food, whose supplies to Uzbekistan are growing exponentially each year. In return, we are ready to supply you with fruits, vegetables, and dried fruits,” he noted.

The delegation was particularly impressed by visits to Vitebsk Region’s processing enterprises, including the Vitebsk and Hlybokaye meat processing plants, as well as the Hlybokaye dairy canning factory. The outcome is already taking shape in the form of concrete contracts.

The Uzbek delegation has signed contracts worth over $100 million with three Belarusian companies following a series of business visits, signaling a major step forward in bilateral cooperation.

The focus is primarily on launching joint investment projects in the agricultural sector. In particular, Iskandar Kudratov, head of Asl Yuksalish Savdo LLC and a member of the delegation, plans to establish a cattle-breeding enterprise in Belarus’ northern region.

“One of the potential sites under consideration for the livestock complex is the former Kaminshchina farm in the Hlybokaye district. The project is planned to be implemented in several stages,” the investor said.

“At the initial launch stage, we plan to lease a facility to accommodate around 1,000 head of cattle, with investments estimated at $300,000-$400,000. We intend to begin implementation in the near future, already this year. Over the next three years, we aim to scale up capacity to 10,000 head. Going forward, we are considering acquiring suitable facilities for livestock operations, which will further increase investment in the project,” he added.