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USAID promotes export of fresh tomatoes and melons from Turkmenistan

17.11.2023 | 20:39 |
 USAID promotes export of fresh tomatoes and melons from Turkmenistan

An international conference on new export opportunities for producers of fresh tomatoes and melons from Turkmenistan was held in Ashgabat on Wednesday, November 15. The forum was organized by the Central Asia Trade Program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the support of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET).

The event was held at the capital's Yildiz Hotel in a hybrid format with the participation of more than 50 representatives of the private and public sector of Turkmenistan, as well as international experts and representatives of foreign retail chains, who spoke online.

As part of this event, the results of a study conducted by an international analytical company to identify new directions for diversifying the export of tomatoes and melons from Turkmenistan were presented. In particular, exporters of these agricultural products were offered several options for diversifying supplies, taking into account global trends in the economy and the fruit and vegetable market.

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In general, in addition to traditional export destinations (such as the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries), Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, as well as EU countries such as Poland, Romania, the Baltics, Germany, and the Netherlands were named as new potential markets. This list also includes the Middle East, Great Britain, and Southeast Asia.

To improve understanding of the technical and commercial standards for fresh tomatoes and melons, representatives of international retail chains and food importers with experience in countries such as Georgia, Ukraine, Poland and other EU countries, as well as the Middle East, speaking via video link, explained requirements for suppliers. In addition, international experts shared with participants information on standards for the export of fresh tomatoes and melons, which are necessary to enter new markets.

Clarifications and comments also concerned issues of logistics, payments, certification and product packaging. For example, the benefits of international certification according to the GLOBALG.A.P standard were revealed. for agricultural products and the implementation of the universal SMETA standard in accordance with an ethical audit methodology covering all aspects of responsible business practices.

In his speech, USAID Representative in Turkmenistan Jeffrey Skarin noted that with the support of USAID, Turkmenistan is increasing the export of melons and tomatoes to new markets of the European Union. The US government supports Turkmenistan's efforts to enter new markets, as it believes that economic diversification is an important component of the country's economic independence.

A member of the board of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, Shamammed Annaev, noted in his speech that the state purposefully supported private agricultural producers by allocating preferential loans for the construction of greenhouses. According to him, in 2022, the export of tomatoes grown by Turkmen enterprises amounted to more than 88 thousand tons, which is 26% more than in 2021.

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By now this year, the country's private sector has supplied almost 70 thousand tons of fresh tomatoes to other countries. The speaker expressed gratitude to USAID for helping to increase the export potential of Turkmen agribusiness and emphasized the importance of introducing international standards in order to diversify supplies to new export markets.

This publication was prepared by the USAID Central Asia Trade Program as part of the Export Ecosystem Development Initiative in collaboration with the ORIENT information website.

Photo: USAID

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