The project “Improvement of the Phytosanitary system for promoting food exports in Uzbekistan,” implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, has concluded. As part of the project, experts from the State Plant Protection Service helped Uzbekistan align its phytosanitary system standards with those of the European Union and implement them in practice. This included applying the principles of integrated plant protection, meeting the requirements for the registration and monitoring of plant protection products and fertilizers, as well as planning surveys for quarantine organisms.
Experts from the State Plant Protection Service and the Latvian Agronomists Association prepared recommendations to enhance understanding of the standards and practices required to ensure that fruits and vegetables exported from Uzbekistan comply with the high standards and food safety requirements of the European Union, ensuring at the same time that no new plant pests are introduced into Latvia with imported products. Experts from the Latvian Agronomists Association presented the role of the non-governmental sector in decision-making processes and practically demonstrated their experience in applying integrated plant protection and modern technologies on their farms, which was of particular interest to Uzbek colleagues.
As part of the project, theoretical and practical training sessions were conducted for inspectors of the Uzbekistan Agency for Plant Protection and Quarantine. These sessions focused on the importance of a system of integrated plant protection for promoting exports, monitoring harmful organisms, and the principles of sustainable use of plant protection products. The training included visits to farms and to sites selling plant protection and fertilizer products in both Latvia and Uzbekistan.
The project has strengthened the capacity of the Uzbekistan Agency for Plant Protection and Quarantine in the fields of plant protection, plant quarantine, and agrochemistry, which has contributed to the implementation of European Union food safety requirements in Uzbekistan.
