Communicating with entrepreneurs: history and trends

**Dialogue with entrepreneurs: history and trends**

**New opportunities, plans and prospects**

**Habiba Kholiyorova, head of the family enterprise “Mohigul Mohlaroyim jhilosi” in the Guzar district of the Kashkadarya region, winner of the “Shuhrat” medal:**

The decisions made within the framework of the open dialogue with the President have opened up new opportunities for our business, and we expect significant changes in the near future. The main activity of our enterprise is the production of building materials, in particular, block bricks and door frames. There is also the production of bread and bakery products, household services, a beauty salon, a pharmacy, a restaurant and two gas stations. A total of 100 jobs have been created.

As our President noted on August 18, in recent years, along with the electrical engineering, pharmaceutical, textile, and furniture industries, there has been significant growth in the production of building materials. Such development has also occurred in our family enterprise. Our products are widely used by contracting companies in the construction of residential buildings, schools, kindergartens and healthcare facilities under construction in the Guzar district. In 2019, modern technological equipment for the production of lightweight block bricks was imported and installed from the People's Republic of China. So far, we have produced and delivered about 4 million blocks of bricks.

The decisions announced within the framework of this dialogue will create even greater opportunities for us. In particular, the introduction of a new approach to encouraging the growth of contractors and designers in the construction sector from 2027, and the provision of funds in the amount of 5 percent of the minimum wage for each working hour, regardless of the location of the construction, will greatly help us.

Another important benefit will be introduced for the purchase of state assets. The head of our state announced in today's dialogue that for loans up to 10 billion soums, the state will take on 30% of the collateral, the Business Guarantee Company - 30%, and banks - 15%. Then a system will be introduced where it will be enough for the entrepreneur to find a 25% collateral. As a result of this initiative, state assets that are idle or inefficiently used in places can be quickly sold and modern business facilities can be launched there. This, in turn, will create the basis for additional orders for business facilities specializing in the production of building materials, similar to our enterprises.

Inspired by today's dialogue, on the eve of Independence Day, I intend to launch a consumer service outlet at the main station in the center of our district. I expect that in the near future there will be very big changes, and our enterprise will flourish even more.

**Annual meetings have become a kind of year-end**

**Shabon Hojiyev, head of the Kumushkent Ipagi LLC, Vobkent district, Bukhara region, awarded the Order of Labor Glory:**

The traditional annual meetings of the President with entrepreneurs have become a kind of summary of the work done for us. The President's open dialogue with business representatives in this way, boldly raising existing problems and immediately determining appropriate measures to eliminate them is a rare phenomenon in world practice. That is why we are looking forward to this day. In short, in preparation for this dialogue, we will discuss the results of the work we have done during the year and, encouraged by the privileges and incentives provided, we will make our future plans.

Our enterprise - Kumushkent Ipagi LLC has a production capacity of 40 tons of silk per year. This means a product worth $ 1.2-1.5 million per year in financial terms. We mainly pay great attention to exporting our products abroad - 100% of our manufactured goods are sent to foreign countries. Our export geography is wide, we supply Uzbek silk to countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Iran. Our partners process this raw material and weave high-quality carpets and various silk fabrics. The volume of our exports is growing year by year, and in 2025 its amount exceeded $ 1 million. In the future, we are working to increase the volume of exports by at least 20-30%.

From this point of view, I believe that the initiatives put forward by the President during the sixth open dialogue with entrepreneurs to increase export potential and bring national brands to foreign markets are very important for enterprises like ours. In particular, we were very interested in the launch of the “Export Navigator” system, which provides comprehensive services at all stages of entering foreign markets, and the formation of a list of 100 products that are in high demand abroad. This will closely assist enterprises like ours in mastering the production of new export-oriented goods.

Another important innovation is the reimbursement of half of the costs of attracting foreign brand makers (up to $500,000) to entrepreneurs, as well as the allocation of a subsidy of up to $50,000 for promoting the national brand in foreign markets and adapting it to international requirements. Compensation of half of the costs of warehousing and sales on marketplaces, and 80 percent of the costs of consulting for international tenders will also be a completely new and effective form of support for exporting enterprises.

In addition, the new relief measures regarding the problem of overdue debts in exports, in particular, the fact that if foreign currency is deposited into a bank account to repay the debt by the end of the year, it will be considered as export proceeds, will be very useful in increasing our export potential.

In conclusion, the sixth open dialogue of our Head of State with entrepreneurs has opened the door to great opportunities for us. It is the duty of each of us to effectively use these created conditions and contribute to the economy of our country.

**New opportunities in the field of localization aroused interest**

**Kallibek Primbetov, head of “NUKUS BETON” LLC and “NUKUS Balik” LLC, awarded the “Shuhrat” medal:**

Currently, our family is engaged in two production areas. The first is fishing, in particular, the cultivation of African mackerel and other local fish species and their processing into semi-finished products, while the second direction is the production of reinforced concrete products for the construction of industrial and civil facilities.

In this open dialogue of our President, very large initiatives were put forward. They will serve as a solid economic basis for the further expansion and development of our activities. As a result, doing business will become easier, the investment climate will become more attractive, and the pace of development will accelerate due to the privileges provided to the regions. In particular, the special attention paid to entrepreneurs from Karakalpakstan, the preferences provided for this region, tax incentives, and material assistance aimed at building infrastructure will undoubtedly contribute to the further prosperity of our country.

In particular, the introduction of a "counter-guarantee" system, which allows assessing the real value of a business and providing loans, is opening up new horizons for entrepreneurs. We are taking advantage of this and are making plans to further expand and diversify our business. Also, the fact that an entrepreneur who purchased land through an auction no longer had to collect documents for 6 months to 1 year to start construction, and now the khokims are putting the land up for sale in the form of a “ready-made package” with a building permit, architectural and planning assignment and project, has become a real boon for our company. This will allow us to quickly implement our plans to expand our activities, and the entrepreneur who purchased such land will be able to start construction immediately. In addition, the reduction in the amount of the advance payment for the infrastructure fee from 20 percent to 5 percent is also a great relief.

During the conversation, it was announced that a list of 50 products that will be localized first of all has been formed. So, we can seriously think about establishing the production of products on this list. In addition, the application of preferential conditions for the release of products to the domestic market, if the localization level exceeds 30-40 percent, was a very important decision for us.

**Business is getting even more opportunities for work and growth**

**Gulbahor Tojimirzayeva, Head of “BA ASSOCIATION”, holder of the “Active Entrepreneur” badge:**

Among the decisions or initiatives announced by the President following the Sixth Open Dialogue, the most important for me were those aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and creating more favorable conditions for their free activity.

It is especially important that the relevant departments directly hear the problems of entrepreneurs throughout the year in all regions of our republic, reduce bureaucratic obstacles and create broad opportunities for the implementation of business initiatives. These decisions are not only a practical opportunity for us entrepreneurs, but also a strong incentive to start new projects, create new jobs and make a greater contribution to the development of our country's economy.

In particular, the increase in the business loan portfolio to 450 trillion soums is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs. In particular, it will be easier to finance production and new investment projects. This will contribute to the creation of new enterprises and more jobs.

The “Business Start”, “Business Lift” and “Business Growth” programs are also very important. Because these programs create a support system for people just starting out in entrepreneurship to businesses at the growth stage, allowing many new entrepreneurs to develop their businesses.

Reducing the advance payment for the purchase of state assets to 15 percent instead of the previous 30 percent will significantly ease the financial burden of the entrepreneur. This is especially a good opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to establish production.

The introduction of the “Export Navigator” system is also very important. Because the most important thing for an entrepreneur in export is time and clear guidance. Comprehensive services at all stages of export will greatly facilitate the export of local products to foreign markets.

The greatest importance of the initiatives announced in today's open dialogue is that entrepreneurs are given even more freedom and confidence to work, grow, and implement new projects. Using these opportunities effectively, we must also strive to make new investments, expand production, and create new jobs.

**The Sixth Open Dialogue gave a new impetus to our plans**

**Bahodir Abduraimov, founder of the Chortoq Mineral Water joint venture, holder of the Salomatlik and Mehnat Shuhrati orders:**

The decisions made during our President's open dialogues with entrepreneurs create enormous opportunities for our business and give us great encouragement. I would like to briefly talk about this using the example of our enterprise.

In particular, the greatest opportunity for business is not just privileges or funds, but confidence in tomorrow. The President's open dialogue with entrepreneurs strengthens this trust and turns the private sector into an equal partner of the state. The decisions being made not only listen to the appeal of the entrepreneur, but also determine a specific financial source, implementation period and responsible persons for solving the problems.

With the help of decisions made in open dialogues, we have introduced advanced technologies from Italy, France and Germany, expanded our production and warehouse infrastructure. We have received FSSC 22000, HALAL, KOSHER and other certificates of conformity required by international markets. Today, Chartok products are entering a number of foreign markets. The emergence of an Uzbek brand in markets with high demand, such as the USA and Europe, is not just a commercial achievement for us, it is an assessment of the industrial culture and quality potential of Uzbekistan.

The recent decisions on expanding pre-export financing and working capital for sectors with high export potential, such as the food industry, the introduction of “trusted exporter” mechanisms, the awarding of the “Uzbekistan Symbol” quality mark to competitive national products and their promotion in prestigious foreign markets open up new horizons for us. Using these opportunities, we aim to expand the geography of exports, establish long-term partnerships with foreign distributors, and turn “Chortoq” water into a global premium brand of Central Asia.

The allocation of large amounts of financial resources to support entrepreneurship and industrial infrastructure in 2026-2027 will also serve to bring production to a new level. In the near future, we are working to further expand existing capacities, establish modern logistics and warehouse systems, and introduce “green” technologies that use energy and water resources economically. Our new projects are not limited to mineral water: they also include the production of high-value-added products such as natural juices, healthy drinks, and baby food.

In our view, Chortoq Mineral Water should not be an ordinary enterprise in the future, but an integrated place combining production, science, health and tourism. Along with modern production, we plan to create a museum on the territory of the enterprise that will showcase the history of water and the brand, as well as open routes for visitors and green areas.

At the sixth open dialogue in Khiva, our President came up with new initiatives that will give us new strength and energy. Therefore, in the near future, we expect, first of all, three changes. The news about the acceleration of export processes and systematic support of national brands in foreign markets will be very useful to us. We will export our products to new foreign markets. Further simplification of administrative procedures for entrepreneurship also means new capacities, more localization, hundreds of new jobs and modern professions for young specialists.

In general, after yesterday's dialogue, I think that the response to the opportunity given to us should also be a great responsibility. An entrepreneur must not only expect ease from the state, but also pay honest taxes, create quality jobs, protect nature and introduce the name of Uzbekistan to the world with a worthy product. We, together with the Chortoq Mineral Water team, adhere to this principle.