BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 21. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed regional authorities to step up efforts to contain inflation by increasing the supply of goods and services, while calling for detailed plans to stabilize meat prices through targeted imports.
This was reflected in the statement published by the official channel of the Press Secretary to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The directives were issued during a government meeting reviewing Uzbekistan's economic performance in the first half of 2026, where inflation was identified as one of the country's key macroeconomic challenges.
Mirziyoyev reminded officials that the government's strategy for controlling inflation is based on expanding the supply of products and services rather than relying solely on monetary measures.
"One of the most important issues for maintaining economic stability is inflation," the president said. "Our task is to curb inflation by increasing the supply of goods and services in the market."
Regional governors had committed to keeping inflation below 3% during the January-June period, but Mirziyoyev said only Samarkand region achieved that target.
The president also highlighted rising food prices, noting that meat prices increased by 6-8% between April and June, placing additional pressure on consumers.
To help stabilize the market, the government allocated 300 billion soums (about $25 million) to cover the cost of transporting imported meat by air.
According to the statement, entrepreneurs from Tashkent city and Tashkent region imported approximately 1,300 metric tons of meat by air under the program. However, Mirziyoyev criticized other regions for failing to make sufficient use of the available support.
The president instructed regional governors and other officials to reassess meat supply and demand across each province and develop detailed procurement plans identifying when, how much and from which countries additional meat imports should be arranged.
"The Head of State emphasized that governors and responsible officials must review meat supply-demand balances for their respective regions and formulate a concrete plan regarding the timing, source countries, and volumes of meat imports." the statement noted.
The measures reflect Uzbekistan's broader efforts to contain inflation while ensuring stable food supplies amid rising consumer demand. By combining targeted import support with closer regional planning, the government aims to ease price pressures on essential food products and preserve macroeconomic stability as the economy continues to expand.
