Over the course of 20 years in the Central Asian market, the Star Brands Group (Flint, Chipster’s, BigBob) has established four production facilities in Kazakhstan and is preparing to expand into Uzbekistan, said Star Brands Director of Strategic Marketing Yevgen Razuvayev at the Forbes Ukraina Exporters Summit.
“In our case, everything was built against the odds. In 2006, we entered Kazakhstan but couldn’t find a single logistics company or distributor capable of ensuring a nationwide presence in a country that stretches over 3,000 kilometers from east to west. So we became our own first national distributor: our ‘rapid response team’ of 13 people went there and learned about the new culture and customs right on the ground,” Razuvayev said.
The speaker paid special attention to the transformation of logistics chains due to Russian aggression. According to him, Star Brands made a fundamental decision to completely cease operations and exit the Russian market as early as 2014–2016, without waiting for this to become a widespread trend among large businesses.
“I’ll let you in on a secret: we exited that market back in 2014, when it wasn’t ‘extremely popular.’” “We realized we wouldn’t be able to ensure normal logistics from Ukraine to Central Asia, since the main route—the railway—ran through the territory of the aggressor country, which we don’t even want to mention. Transit became impossible without a critical increase in the product’s price,” the manager emphasized.
It was precisely the logistics blockade and the impossibility of safe transit through Russia that prompted the creation of our own production facilities directly in Kazakhstan. Currently, four Star Brands sites are operating successfully there, specifically for the production of crackers and potato chips, which allows the company to maintain a competitive cost of goods sold in the region.
“Logistics matters more for our product than it does for metallurgy. When we sell chips, we’re essentially ‘transporting air.’ That’s why logistics costs are extremely important in our production costs. If you don’t have a truly unique product, then when you calculate your capabilities ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down,’ the numbers just don’t add up. It takes a special talent to build a business where logistics ‘eat up’ the entire margin,” Razuvayev explained.
The marketing director also urged Ukrainian exporters to “stop looking only toward the European Union” and turn their attention to the East, specifically to Uzbekistan, whose population already exceeds that of Ukraine.
“Uzbekistan is a country undergoing remarkable changes. From a completely closed-off territory, it is transforming into a market with enormous potential. For us, it serves as a springboard for further development in Eastern countries. Look to the East—that’s the real Asia, where there are countless opportunities,” he concluded.
Star Brands is an international trading and manufacturing group of companies founded in 1995 in Dnipro. The holding operates as a vertically integrated structure with a full cycle of production, logistics, and marketing, and unites 33 production sites. The group includes the distribution company “Concept” with a portfolio of over 50 international brands, its own logistics company “Logistic American,” and the Star Brands Asia division for business development in Central Asian countries.
The group’s portfolio includes 32 brands, among which are the snack brands Flint, Chipster’s, BigBob, and “San Sanich,” the grocery brands “Khutorok” and La Pasta, as well as the non-food brands SoHo and Zeffir. Products are exported to 35 countries worldwide, including the EU, the U.S., and the Baltic states.
Akmalkhuzha Mavlonov, Chairman of the Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, held a meeting with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to discuss streamlining drug imports, strengthening quality control, and addressing systemic market issues. According to the data presented, in 2025, the total turnover of pharmaceutical products in the country reached $2 billion, which is 18% (about $300 million) more than a year earlier, while exports amounted to $32 million.
According to Mavlonov, pharmaceutical products are imported from 79 countries, primarily India, Russia, China, Turkey, Germany, and Ukraine, with about 85% of imports (approximately $1.7 billion) accounted for by finished medicinal products. He also named the largest importers among Uzbek companies, including Grand Pharm Trade, Meros Pharm, Farm Lyuks Invest, GD Pharm, Eurofarm Business, and Astor Alliance.
The Customs Committee announced that starting in 2026, medicines must be stored only in customs and free warehouses that meet the requirements of good storage practices and have appropriate storage conditions. At the same time, medicines and medical products worth $379 million, imported by 63 enterprises within the structure of the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry, are currently under customs storage and control. Mavlonov emphasized the need for quality and circulation checks: “Checks are objectively necessary. Without inspections, it is impossible to allow such products to be consumed by the population.”
It was also noted that over the past three years, customs authorities have detected 3,914 violations in the field of illegal circulation of medicines and medical products, and in 2025, according to the committee’s estimates, about 40% of imported medicines were imported during a period of high temperatures, which creates risks of violating transportation and storage conditions.
Ukraine has traditionally been a prominent supplier to the Uzbek pharmaceutical market and was among the leaders in terms of supplies: According to data from the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, cited by local media, in 2021 Ukraine was the fourth largest exporter of pharmaceutical products to Uzbekistan (after India, China, and Russia) with a value of $86 million. At the same time, Uzbekistan is one of the key destinations for Ukrainian drug exports — in 2023, it became the largest market for Ukrainian pharmaceutical products ($53 million, or 19.1% of exports in this group).
A separate trend is the localization of production with the participation of Ukrainian companies in Uzbekistan. In particular, Farmak is implementing a project in the Tashkent Pharma Park cluster with the localization of solid dosage forms (tablets and capsules) according to GMP standards, which, according to the project statement, will enable the production of over 500 million tablets per year.
In addition, in 2023, Ukrainian company YURiA-PHARM, with the support of EBRD financing, acquired Uzbek company Reka-Med; the EBRD noted that the deal should enable local production for the Uzbek market and reduce risks for exports in the context of the war.
The American company Gulf intends to open a network of gas stations in Uzbekistan and invest in the aviation industry. This was announced by the company’s vice president Craig Kramer on February 18 in Washington at a meeting of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with representatives of American business and financial institutions.
According to him, over the next two years, the company plans to launch at least 100 modern and convenient gas stations that will meet Western standards.
“They will be built according to Western standards and provide high-quality fuel. During this period, we will invest at least $150 million in retail assets. The financing is fully secured. Each facility will be modern and unique in terms of volume and design,” he said in a story on Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
In addition, it is planned to create transport centers for tourists and transit carriers along the highways.
“These projects will create at least 30 new jobs at each facility. In total, more than 3,000 new jobs will be organized for Uzbek citizens,” the Gulf representative said.
Kramer said that he had received proposals from the country’s regions on infrastructure development.
“I have received specific proposals from all the khokims of Uzbekistan’s regions to develop nearly 200 gas stations across the country. This clearly demonstrates that your country has an open business climate and a high level of trust in investors,” he said.
The company also intends to introduce modern technologies and develop the aviation sector.
“We will launch mechanisms that provide modern amenities for retail and corporate clients. Along with retail, we are also investing in aviation. About $50 million will be invested in the aviation sector through Gulf Aviation,” Kramer said.
According to him, this will provide Uzbekistan’s rapidly growing aviation industry with a safe and stable fuel supply, as well as establish a reliable supply system for local and international airlines.
Gulf’s operating base in Central Asia is planned to be located in Tashkent.
“This will be another important step towards transforming Uzbekistan into a center of regional logistics and retail infrastructure,” the company representative emphasized.
The fuel for the stations will be purchased at the Republican Commodity Exchange on general terms and conditions, as well as imported.
In March, Egypt’s largest company, Nile Sugar, will launch a project in the Jizzakh region to grow sugar beets, process them, and produce sugar products. This was announced by Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, in an interview with the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
According to him, the project envisages the production of up to 200,000 tons of sugar per year. The total investment is estimated at $450 million and will be implemented in the form of foreign direct investment.
Minister of Agriculture Ibrohim Abdurakhmonov specified that the President had instructed to speed up the implementation of the project.
“Instructions have been given to take the project under separate control and start its implementation as soon as possible. All the necessary documents have been drawn up, land plots have been allocated, and investments are ready,” he said.
In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that 50,000 hectares of land had been selected in the Ghalaral and Farish districts of the region for growing sugar beets and 170 hectares for the construction of a sugar factory.
On January 23 this year, Laziz Kudratov met with Nile Sugar CEO Emad Farid. Following the negotiations, the parties signed a final protocol confirming their readiness to continue coordinated work on the preparation and implementation of joint projects. The document provides for the clarification of project parameters, financing conditions, and the agreement of further steps to expand practical cooperation.
It is expected that the implementation of the agreements reached will allow moving to the practical stage of cooperation with Nile Sugar, ensure the phased launch of joint projects, and attract modern agro-industrial and processing technologies with further localization of production in Uzbekistan.
On February 2, the President of Uzbekistan was briefed on the current state and development plans for the coal and uranium industries. They discussed increasing coal production, strengthening competition in the industry, and the efficient use of existing reserves.
As noted, 10 million tons of coal are planned to be mined in the fall-winter season of 2025-2026, which is 1.3 million tons more than last season. As of today, 9 million tons of coal have been mined, an increase of 590,000 tons. It was emphasized that in the next season, it is necessary to bring production volumes to 11 million tons.
To achieve this, it is important to accelerate the development of deposits located in the Tashkent and southern regions, expand selective mining, and attract additional excavators and equipment on an outsourcing basis. By expanding the participation of private entrepreneurs, it is planned to extract an additional 2.5 million tons of coal in 2026.
Particular attention was paid to the project to develop the Nishbosh coal deposit in Angren. As part of the investment project, estimated to cost nearly $500 million, with reserves of 233 million tons, it is planned to start production in 2026 and ensure the production of 1 million tons of coal. In the future, the annual productivity of the deposit is expected to reach 10 million tons. The project will create 880 permanent jobs.
The presentation also discussed a project to produce new types of industrial products based on deep coal processing. At the initiative of the joint-stock company Uzkimyosanoat, it is planned to organize the production of polymer products based on chemical coal processing. The $5 billion project involves the creation of facilities for processing 8-9 million tons of coal and producing 1.18 million tons of polymer products per year.
Last year, 7,000 tons of uranium were mined in Uzbekistan, and the discovered reserves reached 139,000 tons.
This year, it is planned to start developing the Arnasay, Western Kyzylkok, Southern Zhongeldy, and Eastern Agron deposits. In connection with the expected increase in production volumes, the need to increase processing capacities has been emphasized.
Measures have been identified to ensure a stable supply of sulfuric acid for uranium processing and the technical sulfur required for its production.
The president has instructed the responsible persons to ensure the timely and high-quality implementation of planned projects in the coal and uranium industries, increase production volumes, and improve economic efficiency.
The Republic of Uzbekistan has been officially recognized by ASIA Records as the Asian country with the largest number of Islamic historical cities included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Representatives of the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Malaysia took part in the award ceremony, which was held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
According to this recognition, the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Shakhrisabz in Uzbekistan are Islamic historical cities officially recognized by UNESCO. This indicator confirms Uzbekistan’s status as one of the richest and most intact centers of Islamic civilization in Asia.
Located in the heart of the Great Silk Road, Uzbekistan has been a crossroads of culture, science, and spiritual traditions of the Islamic world for centuries. Its historic cities have preserved outstanding examples of Islamic architecture, urban planning, and scientific thought in their authentic environment to this day—mosques, madrasas, mausoleums, and entire urban ensembles. Of particular value is the comprehensive preservation of the historical environment, where the unique heritage is not a single monument, but the entire cityscape in its entirety.
Along with its architectural heritage, Uzbekistan remains an important center of pilgrimage and cultural tourism today. The Khast-Imam complex in Tashkent, the mausoleum of Imam al-Bukhari in Samarkand, the ensembles of Bahouddin Naqshband and Chashma Ayub in Bukhara, as well as the Islamic monuments of Termez continue to attract pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.
The ASIA Records award on the international stage is a recognition of Uzbekistan’s leadership in the preservation, development, and promotion of Islamic historical heritage, as well as confirmation of its universal value for all of humanity.
