00:00From household appliances to solar power components, electrical engineering is a powerful
00:10driver of Uzbekistan's economy, fueling new business, jobs and exports. But what about
00:17global trade challenges as the sector eyes further growth? Hello and welcome to the program.
00:25Uzbekistan's electrical engineering sector has grown eightfold in the past five years,
00:33employing more than 85,000 people. Last year, the industry produced more than 2.1 billion euros
00:41worth of goods, with exports making up just over half that value. More than 70 countries
00:48are now being reached. We've been to a high-tech hub in the capital, Tashkent.
00:55Manufacturing on a mammoth scale. This is Texnopark. It brings together 17 production facilities,
01:04covering an area bigger than 60 football pitches.
01:09We specialize on production of home appliances, commercial appliances, industrial heating and
01:15cooling solutions and construction products. Right now, we've reached the capacity of around
01:201.4 million items manufactured annually. A 5,000-strong workforce makes it happen. Working alongside the
01:32latest in production technology. Various technologies are assembled in one place, starting from raw material
01:41and component production, like injection molding, metal processing equipment, and also the final processes like
01:49electronic assembly, laboratories and assembly lines.
01:56Texnopark has sealed partnerships with big international companies like Samsung Electronics and Italy's Pietro Fiorentini,
02:04which works in the energy sector. It supplies both domestic and foreign markets, with exports going to 25 countries.
02:13To us.
02:31This year, even, we are already targeted to make our trial and pilot export to us market.
02:37Also in Tashkent, this maker of wires and cables, including for solar power,
02:45already sends around 60% of its products abroad.
02:50Now a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
02:54is set to supercharge its exports further.
03:07To keep pace with production demands,
03:21the company is creating a training center for technical specialists.
03:37All feeding a sector aiming to reach annual export volumes of almost 2.7 billion euros.
03:53Let's speak now to Merziyod Yunusov, who represents the electrical engineering sector.
03:58Merziyod, why all this expansion? And why now?
04:02As you know, Uzbekistan is a landlocked country.
04:05So what are the government tasks to us is to switch our exports from traditional goods
04:12to more high added value products.
04:15And how about global trading challenges?
04:17We see these challenges as opportunities for our industry.
04:22Why? Because we have local talents, we have raw materials,
04:27and we have a very good agreement with the European Union.
04:31So what we are trying to do is to invite international partnership,
04:36produce it locally, process it locally,
04:38and go not only for the regional market as well as for the European market.
04:43Merziyod, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
04:45Well, that's all we have time for in this edition,
04:48but there's more business news at Euronews.com.
04:51Thanks for watching and bye for now.
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