The air in the meeting room of the Tashkent Presidential Palace is filled with a sense of urgency. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is reviewing the schedule of chemical projects one by one, tapping his fingers on the table and expressing "unacceptable" delays in projects such as the Kungrad Soda Plant and Samarkand Fertilizer Plant. This is a 'wartime mobilization' about the country's economic transformation - Ukraine plans to increase its chemical product exports to $720 million by 2026, and the cornerstone of achieving this ambition is 133 major projects with a total investment of $9.5 billion, as well as increasingly tight ties with Chinese capital and technology.

$9.5 billion bet and food security calculation

After listening to the report, Mirziyoyev set a clear red line: the chemical industry is not only a tool for generating foreign exchange, but also a guarantee for agricultural self-sufficiency. According to the plan, the fertilizer production capacity in Ukraine must meet the standard by 2026: nitrogen fertilizer: 1.12 million tons

Phosphorus fertilizer: 135000 tons, Potassium fertilizer: 222000 tons

This production capacity plan directly serves the domestic agricultural production plan, ensuring that the "granary" does not reduce production due to fertilizer shortages. To achieve this goal, Ukraine plans to attract $2.5 billion in investment through 133 projects by 2026, of which 24 are classified as "strategic level", involving an investment of $1.3 billion and the construction of 7 new production facilities. The Presidential News Agency emphasized that any procrastination will be seen as a threat to national food security.

The infrastructure frenzy from potassium fertilizer plants to soda ash lines assists

China's technology and funding can be seen everywhere in Uzbekistan's chemical blueprint. In Dehkanabad, the expansion of potassium fertilizer production capacity relies on the foundation laid by Chinese companies. As early as 2010, Zhonglan Lianhai Design Institute undertook the first phase of the plant project (with an annual output of 200000 tons of potassium chloride), making it the first potassium fertilizer plant in Central Asia; In 2014, the second phase was expanded to 400000 tons, and the feasibility study for the third phase is still underway. This potassium fertilizer channel from Lianyungang to Uzbekistan has become a landmark project for chemical cooperation between the two countries.

In addition, the phosphorus fertilizer complex in Samarkand, the green and low-carbon transformation of the Navoi nitrogen fertilizer plant (under the EPC general contract of China National Materials Energy Conservation, with a contract amount of approximately 1.252 billion yuan, expected to be completed in February 2026), and the expansion of the Kungrad soda ash plant all heavily rely on Chinese equipment and engineering management experience. China is not only a potential market for Ukrainian chemical products, but also a key external brain for its capacity upgrading.

The lagging project and the president's urging

Despite the grand blueprint, the actual progress has left Mirziyoyev dissatisfied. The meeting announcement shows that the expansion of Kungrad Soda Plant, the production of mineral fertilizers by Samarkand Chemical Company, and the increase in production of Dehannabad Potash Fertilizer Plant have all failed to meet expectations. The President has instructed the regulatory authorities and investors (including Chinese partners) to establish a collaborative mechanism, demanding "accelerated completion" and clearly stating that delays are "unacceptable".

In the 2030 Development Strategy of Ukraine, the chemical industry is listed as a pillar industry, with the goal of increasing production by 4.5 times compared to 2018. The export target of $720 million by 2026 is the key "Midway Island" in this long-term roadmap. If the project is put into operation as scheduled, Ukraine will not only achieve self-sufficiency in fertilizers, but also have the potential to become a hub for chemical product exports in Central Asia. Chinese enterprises' EPC general contracting and equipment exports will receive considerable dividends in this process.Editor/Yang Meiling