About uzbekistan

About Uzbekistan. Agriculture.
Agrarian sector of Uzbekistan's economy is based on irrigated farming, where domination of growing cotton had continued until early 1990s. During the most recent years, one third of the total area under crops has been set aside for this valuable crop. Approximately equal area is set aside for grains, mainly, wheat. The rest of the area is used for growing potatoes, melons and gourds, fruits, grapes, tobacco and fodder crops.
Animal husbandly in Uzbekistan is specialized not only in production of foodstuffs (meat, dairy products, eggs) but also in production of raw materials that include cocoons of mulberry silkworms and karakul that are highly demanded in the world markets.
About Uzbekistan. Transport.
Uzbekistan has all, except for marine, modern means of transport. In 2004, 714.9 million tons of freight and 3.5 billion passengers were carried out in Uzbekistan. The main part of freight turnover belongs to railway, automobile and pipeline transports. And main part of passenger turnovers belong to automobile, air, and railway transports. The total length of paved roads in the Republic equals to about 80 thousand kilometers, while length of railways equals 5 thousand kilometers.
During recent years Uzbekistan launched new transport routes in addition to existing ones? for example,particularly in the South and south­western directions (in the north direction). Technical park of aircrafts, locomotives, train cars, and automobiles was renewed. A large number of infrastructural objects underwent modernization. Today, the Republic has more diversified accesses to world markets. And work on widening of these possibilities this direction is actively continued.
About Uzbekistan. Foreign economic relations.
During last several years foreign trade balance of Uzbekistan has been achieved with positive balance. During the period since gaining the independence, Uzbekistan managed to diversify commodity and geographical structure of exports and imports of goods and services, making them more rational.
In 2004 foreign trade turnover amounted to $8.66 billion. The positive balance of foreign trade exceeded $1 billion as a result of outstripping increase of exports, by 30.3%.
The structure of imports is so far leaded by cotton-fiber, gold, non- ferrous metals, other kinds of raw materials and semifinal goods. And at the same time, the share of automobiles, chemical products, and other products of medium and high technologic level has been increasing. In the structure of imports, because of achieved self-sufficiency in grains and petroleum products, share of foodstuffs and energy carriers has decreased. And it took place without any harm in provision of population and economy with those products. At the same time, share of modern technological equipment has increased in imports.
During the years of independence Uzbekistan has managed to re-orient the main part of its export-import relations from post-Soviet countries to countries of Western Europe, Far East, and USA, though the list of trading partners of the country is still leaded by Russia.