Posted on 25 Mar 2025
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed last week a decree on measures to levy duties on scrap exports and stimulate production of finished products with high added value, Kallanish notes.
The legislation aims to bring export policy in line with the rules of the World Trade Organisation, developing local processing of raw materials and increasing the investment attractiveness of the processing industry, the government claims.
According to the decree, export duties will be introduced on 86 types of goods, including gas, fertilizers, meat, rice, non-ferrous and ferrous scrap, from 1 July 2025. Rates for each type of product have also been approved. Duties on scrap and waste are at the rate of 100%.
According to the president’s special representative for WTO affairs, Azizbek Urunov, Uzbekistan is returning to the practice of export duties, which it abandoned in 1997. “The most important point is that previously there were no transparent criteria by which export permits were issued. Now, with the abolition of permits and the introduction of export duties, the export procedure is becoming clear and transparent," he adds.
“The introduction of export duties on strategic raw materials would also encourage local producers to engage in deeper processing in order to avoid paying duties,” the representative noted.
Earlier in March, neighbouring Kyrgyzstan extended its temporary ban on exporting scrap and waste ferrous metals outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) by another six months, aiming to support the growth of the domestic steel industry (see Kallanish passim).
Last December, the Russian government increased the tariff quota for the export of scrap and waste ferrous metals outside the EAEU from 650,000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2025.
When exporting scrap and waste ferrous metals within the quota, the duty is 5%, but not less than €15/tonne ($15.54). In excess of this, it is 5% but not less than €290/t.
Last November, the Armenian government extended its ban on scrap exports, including to the EAEU countries, by another six months, from 31 January to 31 July 2025.
Kazakhstan also extended its ban on the export of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap and waste, from 2 November 2024 for a further six months.
The EAEU includes the member states of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Armenia.
Source:Kallanish
