Duty-free regime for a number of food products extended

The preferential period for exempting fish, meat, flour, oil, bananas, citrus fruits, milk, cream, butter, yogurt and other food products from import duty has been extended until the end of 2024 by the presidential decree. The decree aims to maintain price stability.

Photo: RIA Novosti

The presidential decree “On measures to ensure the stability of the prices of basic types of food products in consumer markets” was adopted.

By decree, the period of application of the zero rate of import customs duty to the goods listed in Annex 1 of Decree No. PF-145 dated May 31, 2022 and Annex to Decree No. PF-41 dated March 23, 2023 was extended until January 1, 2025. Before that, this period was until January 1, 2024.

Duty-free goods include fish, meat, flour, vegetable oil and other fats, condensed milk, cream, butter, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, bananas, citrus fruits, fresh or dried dates, fresh apples, pears, quinces, includes tea, coffee, cereals, yeast, confectionery, jams, pasta, etc.

According to the new decree, the following will be added to them from January 1, 2024 to January 1, 2025 (zero rate of customs duty is applied when importing to Uzbekistan):

• fresh slaughtered, chilled or frozen poultry meat and additional nutritional products (TIF TN code 0207);
• refined or unrefined sunflower, safflower or cottonseed oil and their fractions (TIF TN code 1512) without chemical modification.

Earlier, the economists interviewed by Kun.uz said that the expiration of this privilege may lead to an increase in the price of food and that it is necessary to set the privilege as permanent rather than temporary.

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