According to EastFruit, the government of Uzbekistan has adopted a resolution according to which zero rates of import duties are applied when importing fruit tree seedlings, grape cuttings, and flower bulbs. Zero import duty will be valid from November 1, 2023 to January 1, 2026 and could be extended.
It seems that Uzbek government is taking steps to upgrade its varietal composition of fruits, nuts, berries and grapes and to improve productivity, efficiency and quality. EastFruit wrote a lot of articles about the outdated mix of varieties in Uzbekistan, preventing it from penetrating the global market and being limited to exports only to Russia and neighboring countries. However, even at these markets consumers are beginning to prefer higher quality produce of internationally recognized verities, which impacts Uzbekistan’s margins.
The official document released by the government provides for the zeroing of customs duty rates on imports of products under HS codes 0601 and 0602, in particular regarding the fruit and vegetable sector, this list includes:
- live unrooted cuttings and layering of grapes (HS 0602101000);
- grape cuttings, grafted or rooted (HS 0602201000);
- trees, shrubs and shrubs, grafted or ungrafted, bearing edible fruits and nuts (HS 0602209000);
- plants of vegetable crops, wild strawberries and strawberries (HS 0602903000);
- rooted cuttings and young plants for open ground (HS 0602904500);
- trees, shrubs and shrubs for open ground (HS 0602904900);
- other perennial plants for open ground (HS 0602905100);
- other plants for open ground (HS 0602905900);
- other plants for protected soil (HS 0602909900).
A little over a month ago, the government of Uzbekistan also expanded the list of technological equipment and machinery that are exempt from import duties and value added tax (VAT) when imported into the customs territory of the country, provided that analogues of such equipment are not produced in this country. This list has been expanded by an additional 15 types, including machinery and equipment for greenhouses.
Source: East Fruit
