ISLAMABAD, June 8. /Dunyo IA/. The Ambassador of Uzbekistan Alisher Tukhtaev held online negotiations with the head of one of Pakistan’s largest leather production companies, “Shafiq Brothers”, Najib Ullah, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

During the meeting, the parties discussed further expansion of trade, economic, and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, particularly the implementation of joint projects in the leather industry.

The discussions focused on the possibilities of establishing modern production facilities in Uzbekistan for full and semi-finished processing of cattle, sheep, and goat hides, as well as the production of high value-added finished leather goods for both domestic and export markets.

According to Najib Ullah, his company has been cooperating with the Uzbek market for many years. In particular, in 2012, “Khawar Enterprises” was established, specializing in export-import operations of leather raw materials.

“In recent years, the favourable business climate created in Uzbekistan for entrepreneurs, especially foreign investors, along with tax and customs incentives and ongoing investment support reforms, has become an important driver for expanding the company’s activities in the country. In this regard, in 2021, “Pak Charm” was established in Tashkent, initially launching the production of wet blue leather,” he noted.

The Pakistani entrepreneur stated that modern technologies and equipment worth around 200,000 U.S. dollars were imported for the enterprise. In a short period, the company established efficient operations, with about 40% of production sold on the domestic market and 60% exported abroad.

He also informed that work is currently underway to further expand production capacities and relocate the enterprise outside Tashkent. In the future, the project aims to launch a modern facility capable of processing up to 3,000 hides of cattle and sheep per day.

The new project envisions the production of leather gloves, winter clothing, and other finished leather goods, as well as exporting these products to CIS countries and other international markets.

The parties also discussed the possibility of locating the investment project in the Tashkent region, highlighting its advantageous logistics, availability of skilled labour, developed engineering and communications infrastructure, and favourable conditions for export-oriented production.

Following the talks, the Pakistani investor supported the proposal and expressed readiness to visit Uzbekistan on a working trip to accelerate the practical implementation of the project. During the visit, meetings are planned with the leadership of the Tashkent region and relevant organizations to discuss organizational, legal, technical, and investment aspects of the project.