Development Factors and Contemporary Trends of the Food Industry in Uzbekistan: An Economic and Statistical Analysis

The food industry is a strategically important component of Uzbekistan's industrial and agrifood system, linking agricultural production with processing, storage, logistics, trade, and final consumption. This study aims to assess the development dynamics of Uzbekistan's food industry during 2017–2025, identify major changes in investment activity, entrepreneurial structure, regional production, and foreign trade, and determine the principal directions for improving sectoral efficiency. The study is based on official data from the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the SIAT statistical information system. Dynamic, structural, comparative, and correlation analyses were applied. Compound annual growth rates (CAGR), the CR3 regional concentration ratio, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were calculated. Current-price indicators were distinguished from real physical growth, and correlations between trending nominal series were interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. Food production at current prices increased from UZS 23.2 trillion in 2017 to UZS 152.1 trillion in 2025, while fixed capital investment rose from UZS 1.18 trillion to UZS 13.76 trillion. The nominal productioninvestment correlation was strong (r≈0.981), although causality was not established. The number of operating food-manufacturing enterprises increased from 8,875 in 2017 to 22,717 in 2023 and then declined to 11,449 in 2025. Tashkent City, Tashkent Region, and Samarkand Region jointly accounted for 45.1% of national food production in 2025. Imports of "food products and live animals" grew faster on average than exports over the study period. The results indicate that the next stage of food-industry development in Uzbekistan should focus less on nominal expansion and more on productivity, deeper processing, efficient investment, regional value chains, cold-chain and logistics infrastructure, digitalization, and higher-value-added production.