Uzbekistan, China to Launch $400 Million Innovation Center in Jizzakh

Uzbekistan and China have announced plans to build a $400 million innovation center in the Jizzakh region, aimed at advancing modern agriculture and tourism.

The large-scale project will be developed on a 30-hectare site, with construction of the first phase set to begin in early 2026, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the center will serve as a hub for modern agricultural practices and cultural-tourism development.

During President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to China, Agriculture Minister Ibrohim Abdurahmonov met with heads of major Chinese companies to discuss a series of investment projects.

In one meeting, Minister Abdurahmonov and Fu Bo, CEO of China Broad Future Tobacco International Import and Export Trading Co. Ltd, discussed a factory project in Khorezm, Samarkand, and Tashkent regions. The $150 million investment project will produce and process 3,000 tons of tobacco products. The initial production phase is planned for 2025, with factory construction to start in early 2026. A 30-hectare plot will be allocated for construction, and 2,000 hectares of farmland will be organized in cooperation with local farmers.

Additionally, discussions were held with Zhu Linjun, head of Jiangsu World Agricultural Machinery, and Yang Zhen Tian, chairman of Aladdin Holdings Group, on establishing a plant in Qashqadaryo for harvesting machinery and other agricultural equipment. The project also includes cultivating high-yield cotton on 30,000 hectares in Qashqadaryo, Navoiy, Sirdaryo, and Jizzakh regions, applying Chinese agricultural practices.

The planned Uzbekistan-China innovation center in Jizzakh, with an estimated value of $400 million, will contribute to advancing modern agriculture and developing the cultural-tourism industry in the region.