Preparation in Uzbekistan is under way as the republic gets ready to host its tenth annual food exhibition, Food Week.
Food Week 2005 is an annual international exhibition of food and drink, food processing, packaging and agricultural technologies.
Held in Tashkent, the largest city in central Asia, organisers said that Uzbekistan is the ideal venue for the agro-food festival. Despite being in a period of transition, organisers said the country has substantial earnings from its cotton and gold exports.
The development of increased local food processing capacity is also a high priority for the country, after figures indicated around half of its fruit production is wasted due to a lack of processing facilities.
Organisers say they are undertaking an aggressive publicity campaign to ensure a high quality attendance in November.