President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has visited the Shaffof Omadli Sanoat private enterprise operating in the Kokand Free Economic Zone.

Established by a 12 January 2017 presidential decree, the FEZ occupies almost 710 hectares. 94 investment projects for a total amount of 180 million US dollars are currently under implementation here in industries such as mechanical and electrical engineering, textiles, pharmaceuticals, food processing, leather and shoe production.

To date, 29 facilities worth almost 52 million dollars have already been commissioned, and about 1.7 thousand jobs have been created. For eight months of this year, residents of the FEZ produced goods for more than 407 billion soums and exported for $ 3.3 million.

The joint venture Shaffof Omadli Sanoat was set up as part of the investment program for the Ferghana region development in 2019-2020 that came out as a result of the President’s visit to the region in May this year.

The company is capable of manufacturing 230 thousand units of methane and 250 thousand units of propane equipment, 300 thousand pieces of components and spare parts a year.

As estimates suggest, this will make it possible to replace imports of products for $ 20 million per annum. The enterprise also intends to export goods worth $ 60 million.

In the future, the company plans to produce loaders, and from 2021 – electric cars.

The President paid special attention to the economic advantages of electric vehicles.

The total cost of this project, realized jointly with the Silk Road Company from China, is 30 million US dollars, including $ 24 million of foreign investment.

Preliminary calculations showed that the estimated cost of this environmentally friendly mode of transport produced in our country will be 3 thousand dollars. Electric vehicles are important in conditions of limited availability of petroleum products.

The head of state examined samples of products manufactured on the territory of the Kokand Free Economic Zone, talked with Ferghana entrepreneurs.