Press releases

Record-Breaking Scale at the Anniversary Edition of UzFood 2026

The 25th Anniversary International Exhibition on Food, Ingredients and Food Technologies – UzFood 2026 took place from 1 to 3 April and presented a large-scale exposition across all pavilions and outdoor display areas of Uzexpocentre NEC. For the first time in the history of independent Uzbekistan, the event surpassed all previous exhibitions in the country in terms of participants and floor space, reaching 14,000 sqm, and making it the largest in its entire quarter-century history.

The number of exhibiting companies reached a record high — 529 from 26 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mongolia, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, the UAE, the USA, and Uzbekistan.

The exhibition events sparked high public engagement, welcoming 11,107 unique visitors out of a total attendance of 14,994 from 41 countries, including Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan.

In addition to the traditional official support from the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, represented by Mr. Alisher Shukurov, Deputy Minister, the opening session was attended by a delegation from Poland's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, headed by Mr. Stefan Krajewski, Minister, Simona Schiller from Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Hong Dooyoung from Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), as well as ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions from Austria, Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Poland, Russia and Türkiye.

As Uzbekistan's consumer market expands and purchasing power grows, the interest from international businesses is intensifying. This year, foreign companies accounted for 80% of all participants. Alongside the traditional participation by Germany, Republic of Belarus, Russia, Republic of Korea and Thailand, for the first time at UzFood Poland and Kyrgyz Republic presented their national pavilions and collective stands. Mongolia was a first-time exhibitor.

The 26th International Exhibition on Packaging. Equipment and Materials — O'ZuPACK, a technological section of UzFood 2026, demonstrated the full cycle of food packaging — from equipment to finished products: packaging, filling and bottling equipment, finished packaging, containers, labels, disposable tableware and packaging materials, as well as technologies for the production of PET containers and packaging films.

The anniversary exhibition featured an extensive and innovative Business Programme:

• Chains Wholesale Centre
• Workshops and master classes delivered by participants: Fish Day – Every Day, Rodals Uzbekistan, Sardor Snack, Central Asian E-Grocery sessions and an audience engagement programme by Chinese companies
• A master class on meat grilling with degustation, hosted by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and The Thermoplan UZ at the outdoor venue

The Chains Wholesale Centre is a new format of the traditional Retail Centre — the business arena of UzFood, which remains unmatched in Uzbekistan since 2019. The venue hosted pre-scheduled one-to-one business meetings of retail chains from Uzbekistan and the CIS countries, including Russia, Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic, as well as food and beverage manufacturers.

Over two days, the platform brought together 270 participants. A total of 862 rounds of negotiations were conducted, 93.6% of which proved successful, 777 agreements were signed, preliminary contracts totalling $620,889,000 were concluded, and 240 commercial proposals were initiated.

The full 'field to fork' product cycle on display and the wide range of events attracted considerable attention: the exhibition was covered in 84 publications across 64 media outlets, including top 30 domestic and international media, official websites and social media accounts of national and international organisations, diplomatic missions, major companies and numerous bloggers.

The results, scale and dynamic business activity were highly rated by the participants:

Ms. Irmina Wlodarczyk, Head of Unit, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Poland:
— We are particularly pleased that our first participation in UzFood coincided with its 25th anniversary. We are presenting the Poland Tastes Good national stand, showcasing high-quality Polish products — traditional, regional and organic — from each part of Poland. Members of the Polish delegation highly value the results of their participation and negotiations, and are confident that the contacts established will lead to mutually beneficial agreements.

Mr. Kim Kyoungeun, Manager, KOTRA, Republic of Korea:
— This year, the KOTRA stand features 21 Korean companies. We choose UzFood because it is the largest food exhibition in Uzbekistan. Last year we occupied 56 sqm, and this year we have expanded to 104 sqm. Among the national expositions, our Korean pavilion is one of the largest, which is recognised annually with an award for best collective stand.

Mr. Aleksandr Lebedev, Official Representative for Central Asia and the Caucasus, Reich, Germany:
— We represent Reich Thermoprocesstechnik GmbH, one of Germany's largest manufacturers of thermal processing equipment. Over the past five years, we exhibited with a small information stand of 9 sqm. This time, we brought equipment from Germany and expanded considerably, as Uzbekistan's market is growing rapidly and our sales increase every year.

Ms. Emma Savitskaia, Director, Dary Tyan-Shanya LLC / Kyrgyz Export:
— This is my first time exhibiting at UzFood. I have previously taken part in many international exhibitions in China, Republic of Korea, Japan and Qatar, yet the level of organisation at UzFood truly impressed me. The Chains Wholesale Centre stood out in particular — negotiations were structured for maximum efficiency and with high professionalism.

Mr. Khalid Iqbal, Export Manager, Rustam Foods, India:
— We have been exhibiting at UzFood for three consecutive years. As an Indian meat exporter, this is a vital platform for exploring Uzbekistan's market. Demand for our products is growing steadily, opening new opportunities for expanding cooperation. We highly value the results of our participation and are considering exhibiting again next year.

Ms. Madina Shamsieva, Manager, Sirdaryo Mega Lyuks, Uzbekistan:
— So far, the O'ZuPACK exhibition has been extremely productive. By our estimate, around 5,300 people visited it in a single day alone — an all-time record. We have met our existing partners who are also exhibiting here, and we are confident that, following the exhibition, we will begin working with many new countries and partners.

Event organisers: Iteca Exhibitions International Exhibition Company in partnership with ICA Eurasia Group.

Registration is now open for UzFood 2027, to be held from 13 to 15 April.

Exhibition Director: Anna Perelygina phone: +998 50 760 51 74 e-mail: uzfood@iteca.uz
Project Manager: Aziza Mukhitdinova phone: +998 50 760 51 68 e-mail: aziza.mukhitdinova@iteca.uz
For further details, please visit: uzfoodexpo.uz

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