Alexei Skatin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), stated that Uzbekistan currently requires approximately 500,000 square meters of modern warehouse space. Demand significantly outstrips available supply.

According to Skatin, the vacancy rate for warehouse space in Uzbekistan is virtually zero. “If you try to rent a modern warehouse today, it will be extremely difficult to find available space,” he noted.

After Uzbekistan joined the EDB, the bank opened an office in the country and considers logistics a key area for investment. The EDB is already studying several projects in logistics, retail, and the food sector.

The bank estimates that for every billion dollars in retail or online sales, about 100,000–120,000 square meters of warehouse space is needed. “We see that Uzbekistan’s current need is about half a million square meters of warehouse space. This is an area that can be invested in and that we are ready to finance,” Skatin said.

Overall, Central Asian countries require about 10 million square meters of warehouse space, primarily Class A warehouses, which are in demand in retail, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, and temperature-controlled product segments.

The EDB representative noted that such facilities can be commissioned fairly quickly, and closing the existing deficit in the region could take three to five years.

Source: podrobno.uz