Food Security Act Approved by Lawmakers
The Senate of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis has recently approved the “Food Security Act” during its January 23 plenary session. This law aims to regulate food security relations in the country by ensuring that the population has access to safe and nutritious food, promoting effective market mechanisms, and encouraging the production of food products and raw materials.
The “Food Security Act” establishes several key directions of state policy in food security. These include the formation of reserve stocks of food products and raw materials based on minimum consumption standards, as well as expanding the population’s access to an adequate supply of essential food products on a continuous basis.
Additionally, the law emphasizes the importance of promoting the production of food products that meet sanitary, veterinary, veterinary-sanitary, and phytosanitary regulations set forth in legislative documents. Prioritizing foreign economic activity and maintaining a balance between the export and import of essential food products are also highlighted as key aspects of state policy.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been appointed as the authorized state body for food security, with responsibilities that include coordinating efforts among national and local executive authorities, supporting food production activities, analyzing factors that may negatively impact food security, and developing strategies to enhance and expand food production processes.
Furthermore, the law outlines measures to prevent food shortages, specifies procedures for forming food balances, and defines the rights and obligations of consumers and businesses in the realm of food security. Senators have praised this law for consolidating and organizing regulations related to food security into a single document, providing a comprehensive legal framework for the sector.
In a parliamentary session in 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored the significance of food security as a critical issue given the country’s growing population. During a videoconference on measures to ensure food security and stabilize prices in domestic markets, the president emphasized the importance of maintaining reserves of all food products, declaring this a priority of state policy.
