Malaysian company Meraque will launch smart agricultural machinery and drones manufacturing unit in Uzbekistan, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The production unit will be hosted by the Research Institute of Agricultural Mechanization in the Yangiyul district of the Tashkent province.

The agreement was reached during the visit to Kuala Lumpur of a delegation that included officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, the governors of the Tashkent and Kashkadarya provinces, as well as executives of clusters.

In September last year, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that Meraque would invest 20 million Malaysian ringgits (about $4.5 million) over three years to set up a manufacturing unit in Uzbekistan, which will create 1,000 jobs and service 100 thousand hectares of farmland.

In addition, the company vowed to attract another 30 million ringgits ($6.78 million) for technological development in the province.

Management and building services company Meraque was founded in 2018. Over time, it has expanded its activities to agriculture, telecommunications, training, academic programs, and logistics. In 2022, the company was ranked 18th in the drone technology service provider ranking by Drone Industry Insights, a German-based market research consultancy.

Meraque also operates in Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Cambodia.

Other deals

In addition, under an agreement between the Malaysian Agricultural Research Development Institute and the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Center under the Ministry of Agriculture, rice varieties that are resistant to drought and salinity will be delivered to Uzbekistan. These Malaysian varieties will be tested in Uzbekistan. In turn, seeds of the Uzbek rice variety - Devzira will be exported to Malaysia.

In Uzbekistan, it is also planned to introduce Malaysian technologies in the field of intensive fish farming, bioflocs and shrimp farming.

Uzbek fruits, vegetables and silk products will be exported as part of the partnership with the Malaysian Agency for Agricultural Marketing.