Herbs and spices

Export from Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is considered one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Uzbekistan has the fourth largest gold deposits in the world. The country mines 80 tons of gold annually, seventh in the world. Uzbekistan's copper deposits rank tenth in the world and its uranium deposits twelfth. The country's uranium production ranks seventh globally. The Uzbek national gas company, Uzbekneftegas, ranks 11th in the world in natural gas production with an annual output of 60 to 70 billion cubic meters. The country has significant untapped reserves of oil and gas: there are 194 deposits of hydrocarbons in Uzbekistan, including 98 condensate and natural gas deposits and 96 gas condensate deposits.

Along with many Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) economies, Uzbekistan's economy declined during the first years of transition and then recovered after 1995, as the cumulative effect of policy reforms began to be felt.

Economic production is concentrated in commodities. In 2011, Uzbekistan was the world's seventh-largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of cotton as well as the seventh largest world producer of gold. It is also a regionally significant producer of natural gas, coal, copper, oil, silver and uranium. Uzbekistan's external position has been strong since 2003. Thanks in part to the recovery of world market prices of gold and cotton (the country's key export commodities), expanded natural gas and some manufacturing exports, and increasing labor migrant transfers, the current account turned into a large surplus (between 9% and 11% of GDP from 2003 to 2005) and foreign exchange reserves, including gold, more than doubled to around US$3 billion.

As a producer of oil, natural gas, gold, and as the second largest exporter of cotton, natural resources dominate the country's exports. Uzbekistan's exports also include machines and equipment, cars, refined copper, radioactive chemicals and food.

Uzbekistan's main export partners are Russia, Turkey, China, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh.

Import to Uzbekistan

Since gaining independence, the Government of Uzbekistan has stated that it is committed to a gradual transition to a market-based economy. Uzbekistan's growth has been driven primarily by state-led investments and a favorable export environment.

The government of Uzbekistan restricts foreign imports in many ways, including high import duties. Excise taxes are applied in a highly discriminatory manner to protect locally produced goods. Official tariffs are combined with unofficial, discriminatory charges resulting in total charges amounting to as much as 100 to 150% of the actual value of the product, making imported products virtually not affordable. Import substitution is an officially declared policy and the government proudly reports a reduction by a factor of two in the volume of consumer goods imported. A number of CIS countries are officially exempt from Uzbekistan import duties.

Uzbekistan's main imports are machines and equipment, chemical products, food and metals. Other imports of Uzbekistan include vehicle parts, packaged medicaments, refined petroleum, sawn wood and coated flat-rolled iron.

Uzbekistan's main import partners are Russia, South Korea, China, Germany and Kazakhstan.

Spices make food taste great, they make its flavor bitter or sweet, spicy or specific and strange. A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, berry, bud or vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. A spice may have other uses, including medicinal, religious ritual, cosmetics or perfume production, or as a vegetable.

Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, and in some cases spiritual usage. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. In medicinal or spiritual use any of the parts of the plant might be considered "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, resin, root bark, inner bark (and cambium), berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions of the plant.

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Herbs can be perennials such as thyme or lavender, biennials such as parsley, or annuals like basil. Perennial herbs can be shrubs such as rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, or trees such as bay laurel, Laurus nobilis – this contrasts with botanical herbs, which by definition cannot be woody plants. Some plants are used as both herbs and spices, such as dill weed and dill seed or coriander leaves and seeds. Also, there are some herbs such as those in the mint family that are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

Some plants contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body. There may be some effects when consumed in the small levels that typify culinary "spicing", and some herbs are toxic in larger quantities. For instance, some types of herbal extract, such as the extract of St. John's-wort or of kava can be used for medical purposes to relieve depression and stress. However, large amounts of these herbs may lead to toxic overload that may involve complications, some of a serious nature, and should be used with caution. Sell herbs online on our site, expand your business overseas!

If you want to buy spices online, you are in the right place. Sellers from all over the world offer a wide range of spices on Export Portal.

- Dried herbs and spices: asafetida, allspice, cardamom, cayenne pepper cinnamon, coriander seed, cumin, fennel seed, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, rosemary, turmeric, black pepper.

- Fresh herbs: basil, curry leaves, dill, mint, parsley.

- Spice blends, rubs and mixes: baharat, chili powder, chinese five-spice powder, curry powder, herbes de provence.

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Customs requirements of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Customs Contacts

Website: http://www.customs.uz/en/ 

Email: info@customs.uz 

Phone: (8 371) 120-76-33

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country situated in Central Asia, bordered by five countries: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC), General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), World Customs Organization (WCO)World Trade Organization (observer) and other international organizations. 

Import taxes/Tariffs

There are three types of import taxes in Uzbekistan: 

- customs duties on imports (henceforth referred to as tariffs)

- excise taxes that are levied on imported goods 

- the Road Fund tax on imported vehicles

Duties are based on the CIF cost of the goods. Duties are payable in Uzbek currency (UZS) at the rate of exchange set by the National Bank of Uzbekistan on the day of customs clearance.

VAT and Surcharge

There is a customs surcharge (processing fee) of 0.2% of customs value. A 20% Value Added Tax is levied on the duty value. Excise tax is levied in addition to VAT on certain luxury goods such as alcohol and cigarettes.

The country’s legislation provides for antidumping and countervailing duties, but no such duties have been imposed in practice.

There are five ad valorem tariff rates in the tariff schedule: 0%, 5%, 10%, 30% and 40%.

Many goods are subject to an ad valorem tariff or a specific tariff, whichever is greater. There are also compound tariffs which are a combination of an ad valorem and a specific tariff. To protect domestic producers, tariffs on many imported final goods, such as automobiles, furniture and textile products, are quite high, while tariffs on raw materials, intermediate goods, machinery and equipment are generally low.

In what appears to be an internal inconsistency in Uzbekistan’s trade regime, a non-zero tariff (which raises the domestic price of the taxable commodity) is levied even on some goods whose exports are prohibited or licensed to keep their domestic prices down (such as grains, flour, meat and sugar).

Import License

The time needed to export from and import to Uzbekistan has reduced over the past few years, but still it remains quite long. The country’s land-locked location far away from major seaports is one reasons for this, and why the cost of exporting from and importing to Uzbekistan is high.

Certain products such as radioactive materials, explosives, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, biological substances, rare metals are restricted to import in to Kazakhstan. The importer well in advance of importing such goods to Uzbekistan must apply for the special import license. Receiving an import license is complicated and can take up to three months or longer period. The importer/exporter may be required to provide samples for analysis along with the complete technical data in Russian to facilitate the process. Import licenses are frequently restricted to time limits and quantity as well. So be sure to check with Globalink prior to shipping such items to Uzbekistan.

Documents required for registration of company as importer/exporter at customs office:

(All documents must be notarized copies.)

1. Company’s Charter or Article of Association (not required for Representative Offices)

1. Registration Certificate bearing importers full legal address.

1. Statistic card issued by the city Statistics department.

1. Certificate from the Local Tax Inspection confirmation company’s’ registration and tax identification number.

1. Letter from the bank-confirming company’s account details.

1. Application requesting the head of Customs department for the registration of the company as an importer/exporter in customs data bank.

1. Certificate from tax inspection confirming the company is in good standing with the tax department.

Sources:

http://www.ucentralasia.org/downloads/UCA-IPPA-WP4-Uzbekistan%20and%20Regional%20Trade.pdf 

http://web.ita.doc.gov/tacgi/overseasnew.nsf/alldata/Uzbekistan