European Union Grants Are Being Offered to Bukhara’s Livestock Sector

On October 8, a practical seminar was held at Bukhara State Technical University, attended by livestock farmers from the region, agribusiness representatives, commercial banks, and experts from the French Development Agency (AFD). The event, held in an open-dialogue format, focused on modernizing livestock and poultry enterprises and introducing green technologies into the sector. Participants were also given a detailed presentation on the procedures and eligibility criteria for receiving a non-repayable grant from the European Union covering 40% of eligible costs for entrepreneurs who obtain loans of up to 100,000 euros through the second credit line of the “Financing Sustainable Development of the Livestock Sector” project.

During the seminar, specialists provided detailed answers to participants’ questions and explained every stage, from applying for a loan to obtaining non-repayable grant funding, using practical examples. Particular attention was paid to the application process, banks’ requirements, and the procedures for verifying whether projects meet the sector-specific eligibility criteria.

Practical results achieved with AFD support

As part of efforts to implement the tasks set at a videoconference meeting chaired by the President on April 24 this year, aimed at increasing the supply of locally produced goods and ensuring price stability in the market, Bukhara Region Governor Botir Zaripov visited the “Arjumandbonu Chorvasi” poultry cluster in Jondor district. He became familiar with the modern complex built by the enterprise on a 62-hectare site in a desert area, as well as the operations of its new production lines.

The modern complex launched in the “Yangiobod” area currently employs 200 permanent staff members. The enterprise also includes an automated poultry slaughterhouse with a processing capacity of 2,000 birds per hour, an incubator, and a feed mill capable of producing 10 tons of feed per hour.

As part of the seminar, representatives of the French Development Agency also visited this large-scale cluster to assess the results achieved. Anvar Tukbaev, the complex’s operations manager, spoke about the investment received and its impact:

“Our enterprise has the capacity to produce 15,000 tons of dietary chicken meat annually. In 2022, the French Development Agency provided a concessional loan of 21 billion soums. With this investment, we purchased the latest equipment from the Dutch company VDL Agrotech and fully equipped our new poultry facility, which has the capacity to raise 1.5 million birds. As a result, 110 additional jobs were created for local residents. In addition, 40,000 chicks were distributed to 100 households through a cooperation scheme. The enterprise has established a system for buying back poultry raised by households over a 40-day period. Each household now earns an average of 5–6 million soums in additional income per production cycle.”

Strategic plans for the future

The cluster is currently working to further expand its operations. In particular, by 2027, it plans to introduce the import and breeding of parent broiler stock to reduce dependence on imports. Other plans include building a plant to produce fish feed from production waste and launching a modern sausage production facility for processing meat products. The enterprise aims to implement these promising projects in cooperation with the French Development Agency as well.