FISHCap project places Uzbekistan’s fishery and aquaculture industry under the spotlight
Tashkent – The FISHCap country webinar series continued this week with an instalment on the state of the fishery and aquaculture industry in Uzbekistan, held on 26 May 2021. The FISHCap project (Capacity Building for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Management in Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Turkey (FISHCap)) is part of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP II), funded by the Government of the Republic of Turkey, and aims to encourage collaboration between the private and public sector through a series of country webinars.
On this basis, the webinar on Uzbekistan discussed the current situation of fishery and aquaculture in the country and explored avenues for private sector involvement. The webinar also facilitated the exchange of experiences, success stories and ideas about the industry’s vision for building and supporting regional dialogue for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries. The webinar further provided participants from across the sector with an opportunity to learn about Uzbekistan’s potential and to exchange regional perspectives on the FISHCap project. The webinar was conducted in English, Russian and Turkish.
The first set of opening remarks were delivered by Ayşegül Selışık, Assistant FAO Representative in Turkey, who explained that the FISHCap webinar series was conceived as a set of concrete steps to promote efficient, inclusive and participatory fisheries/aquaculture management in the subregion, with a focus on boosting employment especially among women and youth. Selışık was followed by Sherzod Umarov, Assistant FAO Representative in Uzbekistan, who noted that while Uzbekistan is a landlocked country – like many of the countries in Central Asia – it has abundant inland water resources, especially in the form of rivers and lakes which are suitable for freshwater aquaculture. Umarov emphasized that this webinar will help participants analyse the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Uzbekistan and will facilitate inter-industry cooperation and state involvement in the country.
The opening remarks continued with a contribution from Turgay Türkyılmaz, Deputy Director-General of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, who pointed out that FISHCap project encourages the development of the fishery sector and regional trade, and contributes to the strengthening of bilateral relations among beneficiary countries. Türkyılmaz also stated that Turkey is very glad to share its experiences on fishery and aquaculture industry with countries in the subregion. Highlighting the efforts of the Government of Uzbekistan in developing fishery and aquaculture industry in the country, Shukhrat Rakhmatov, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Fishery in Uzbekistan, noted that a legal framework for the aquaculture sector has been prepared. Rakhmatov also welcomed Turkey’s intention to share its experiences on fishery and aquaculture industry with Uzbekistan. The final remarks were delivered by Haydar Fersoy, Senior Fishery and Aquaculture Officer, who reminded the participants that the basic objective of the FISHCap project is to disseminate best practices in fishery and aquaculture industry among the beneficiary countries.
The webinar consisted of three sessions moderated by Haydar Fersoy which covered a wide range of topics. The first session provided a platform to exchange opinions on themes such as the status of women and youth in the industry, governance frameworks and strategic priorities. The second session focused on industry performance, allowing the participants to explore more technical areas including market structure, and business opportunities and constraints. In the last session, the participants discussed ways to improve industry sustainability and productivity, options for business transformation, and avenues to increase collaboration among industry partners.
About the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Turkey and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.
In 2014, Turkey and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Turkey Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with an additional fund of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
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