BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 4
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
The silk industry has been identified as one of the priority areas as it has a high potential for job creation and high value-added products, Trend reports referring to the statement of Project Coordinator, FAO representative in Uzbekistan Sherzod Umarov.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in cooperation with the Uzbekipaksanoat Association, on December 3-4 organized in Tashkent an International Investment Forum within the framework of the FAO project "Support for Sustainable Sericulture in Uzbekistan".
“This project is designed to identify and eliminate the main obstacles to the development of the silk industry, from the design of silk products to marketing. FAO supports innovation in the silk industry, combining modern trends with traditional features, reviving a rich heritage for the production of high-quality products that are in demand on the world's catwalks,” FAO Deputy Director General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Vladimir Rakhmanin said.
Rakhmanin also noted that the investment forum promises to become a good platform for stimulating the inflow of domestic and foreign investment in the field of silkworm breeding, the formation and promotion of a positive image of silk products of Uzbekistan both inside the country and abroad.
The forum participants exchanged views on the prospects and strategies for the stable development of the industry, as well as on the production of products in accordance with world standards and new trends in the textile industry.
“The implementation of the FAO project contributes to the development of the silk industry, and at the same time the agricultural sector, which in turn contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Sherzod Umarov said.
In addition, a training program on silk cultivation, design, and product diversification has been implemented in three regions with high unemployment and limited access to education within the framework of the FAO project on "Support for Sustainable Sericulture in Uzbekistan". At the same time, the emphasis was placed on socially vulnerable groups of the rural population - unemployed youth and women, persons with disabilities, the elderly.
According to the information, the aim was to expand production to a level sufficient to supply export markets with sufficient quantity and quality of handicraft silk products, while addressing employment problems in rural areas.
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