Developing competition and reducing the direct participation of the state in the economy has become one of the key directions of economic reforms in Uzbekistan. In recent years, measures have been taken to expand private business access to markets, reduce exclusive rights, and strengthen control over anti-competitive actions. This is stated in an article by Khalilillo Turakhodjaev, Chairman of the Competition Development and Consumer Protection Committee, published in the "Yangi O'zbekiston" newspaper.
Developing competition and reducing the direct participation of the state in the economy has become one of the key directions of economic reforms in Uzbekistan.
In recent years, measures have been taken to expand private business access to markets, reduce exclusive rights, and strengthen control over anti-competitive actions. This is stated in an article by Khalilillo Turakhodjaev, Chairman of the Competition Development and Consumer Protection Committee, published in the "Yangi O'zbekiston" newspaper.
As noted in the article, since the start of reforms in 2017, competition policy has become a permanent direction of state economic policy.
In 2023, a new Law "On Competition" was adopted, providing for modern mechanisms to combat abuse of dominant position and cartel agreements, control state aid and economic concentration, and protect competition in the activities of state-owned enterprises and digital platforms.
Over the past period, more than 4,000 draft regulatory legal acts have been studied. In 52% of them, norms capable of restricting competition were identified.
In addition, 6,700 decisions of state bodies and local khokimiyats that contradicted the principles of competition were canceled or brought into compliance with the law. 3,500 anti-competitive actions were eliminated, and approximately 912 billion soums of unjustifiably received funds were returned.
In the field of economic concentration, 1,181 transactions totaling $13.2 billion were approved between 2019 and 2026. Consent was not granted for 31 transactions due to the risk of negative impact on competition. An antimonopoly compliance system also operates in more than 400 large enterprises and government agencies.
A separate area of reform involves reducing the state's presence in the economy. The country has introduced the "Yellow Pages" principle, which restricts the creation of new state enterprises in markets where at least five private entrepreneurs are already operating.
According to the data presented in the article, the share of enterprises with state participation in GDP decreased from 55% to nearly 30%, and their number from 3,200 to 1,700 Simultaneously, 160 licensing and permitting procedures were abolished or simplified.
The number of operating business entities increased from 257.7 thousand in 2016 to 474.9 thousand in 2026. The GDP volume increased from 199.3 trillion soums in 2016 to 1,849.7 trillion soums by the end of 2025.
The article also notes the revision of exclusive rights and individual privileges that restricted companies' access to specific markets. Exclusive rights were abolished for 24 types of activities, and individual benefits in 39 areas were reduced or revised. Following the abolition of several exclusive rights in 2025, more than 100 business entities gained access to relevant service markets.
Changes have also affected the sphere of natural monopolies. The status of 56 enterprises whose main activities are not carried out under conditions of natural monopoly has been revised. Six types of services were excluded from the list of natural monopolies. As a result, the number of natural monopoly entities decreased from 140 in 2018 to 78 in 2026.
The article cites the aviation industry as one of the examples of increased competition. While there was one local air carrier operating in the country in 2017, their number reached 15 in 2025. Passenger traffic grew nearly fivefold and amounted to 15 million people, including 12 million international passengers.
The reforms also affected price regulation. Mechanisms for the administrative regulation of the cost of 28 types of goods and services, including flour, bread, cottonseed oil, grain, fuel, and mineral fertilizers, have been revised.
At the same time, control over collusion, artificial deficits, abuse of dominant position, and manipulation on exchanges was strengthened. According to the data provided, in certain markets, the price of liquefied gas decreased by 38%, wheat by 14%, and carbamide for farmers by 25%. Unreasonable price increases totaling 78 billion soums were prevented at 145 enterprises. In 344 cases of exchange manipulation, orders were issued to recover 105 billion soums.
In 2025, approximately 41,000 consumer appeals were reviewed. Based on their results, measures were taken to recover 383.4 billion soums. Systematic inspections in the fields of gas, utilities, fuel, and medicines have helped restore the rights of 17 million consumers.
For digital market monitoring, the Fair Tech unified information system, as well as the Fair Price, Product Info, and Pharm Info modules, are used. They are integrated with the information resources of 32 state bodies. The timeframe for obtaining individual data was reduced from 10–20 days to 15 minutes, and the analysis process was accelerated fivefold.
Based on this, 204 entities and 165 goods were recognized as holding a dominant position in the financial market. Significant bargaining power was identified in 93 enterprises, and a dominant position was established in six types of services across nine digital platforms.
The article also presents the results of regional competitiveness and investment opportunities analysis. In the Syrdarya region, opportunities were identified for 40 types of products with high economic complexity.
The potential market for this product is estimated at over $2.6 billion in neighboring countries, $8 billion in Russia, and $4 billion in Turkey.
According to the report, the competitive environment has improved in approximately 30 sectors, including the markets for cotton and grain, civil aviation, electronic payments, cement and construction materials, cable, and metallurgical products.
At the same time, the product range has expanded: from approximately 4,100 types of products in 2019 to 5,600 in 2025.
Further goals include bringing the share of the non-state sector to 85% by 2030, the phased abolition of 16 types of state monopolies, and expanding private sector participation in rail transport, road construction and management, as well as gas and electricity supply.
By 2030, it is also planned to limit the monopoly and dominant position in 15 markets, gradually abolish more than 10 exclusive rights, eliminate restrictions on parallel import, and introduce modern international principles for using trademarks.
At the same time, as noted in the article, the state will retain its necessary participation in strategic energy and transport infrastructure, as well as in facilities related to national security. The main task is to determine the rational boundaries of state participation while simultaneously improving the quality of market rules and the effectiveness of control.
According to the author of the article, the development of competition and the reduction of direct state participation create conditions for expanding opportunities for the private sector, stimulating innovation, and increasing economic efficiency.
Source: uzdaily.uz