Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade has proposed letting zero import duties lapse on nine groups of food products, including cheese, yogurt and chocolate, in a draft presidential resolution discussed on Oct. 27.

The proposal was presented at a meeting of the Public Council for Entrepreneurship Support under the president. Zero duties now apply to 56 product items and expire on Jan. 1, 2027.

The ministry proposed extending the benefits to Jan. 1, 2028 in full for 45 items and in part for two more. The nine groups left out are condensed milk and cream, yogurts, cheeses and curd, apples, pears and quinces, sugar confectionery, chocolate and other cocoa products, pasta, mineral and sparkling water, and soft drinks.

Sarvarkhuja Khonkhujaev, head of the ministry’s tariff and non-tariff regulation department, said the move is not an early cancellation. “We are not excluding any product items from the current benefits and we are not canceling them early,” he said.

He said the proposal took into account local production capacity, output and domestic market supply. In January-August 2026, 84 enterprises produced 84,000 tonnes of condensed milk and cream, against imports of 15,000 tonnes. Seventy-seven enterprises make yogurts, with output of 50,200 tonnes, while eight-month imports reached 9,800 tonnes of yogurts and 10,300 tonnes of cheeses and curd.

Council members questioned whether that analysis was enough. The chair asked whether production and import volumes match actual demand, whether prices are affordable given incomes, and how restoring duties would affect the domestic market.

Khonkhujaev said an analysis of prices and domestic consumption had been done but was not presented at the meeting. He said he was ready to provide it.

The zero rates have been extended every year since 2022.