Not tomato alone - what and how much Turkmen small business supplies abroad
In 2022, Turkmen private exporters sold products abroad worth 608 million US dollars. At the same time, the share of industrial goods amounted to a total of 460 million dollars, that is, more than 75%.
What do domestic producers supply to foreign markets?
The key positions of export goods with high added value were occupied by products made of polyethylene and polypropylene.
The production of textile products in the private sector has also been established, which, together with other spheres, ensures the diversification of Turkmen exports.
Shamammed Annaev, member of the board of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, responsible for promoting trade and exports, spoke about this during the Export Consulting Day, held on Wednesday in Ashgabat as part of the USAID’s Trade Central Asia.
As for agricultural and food products, in 2022 the value of deliveries of Turkmen tomatoes and other vegetables, grains, confectionery and drinks abroad reached 148 million US dollars.
Targeted state support for private agricultural producers, including concessional loans for the construction of greenhouses, has had an effect. Now in every region of the country there are large greenhouse complexes where tomatoes and dozens of other types of vitamin products are grown.
To date, 850 hectares of modern-style greenhouses are in operation, construction of new greenhouses with a total area of 650 hectares continues.
Shamammed Annaev also cited statistics on the export of tomatoes - in 2022, Turkmen farmers sent abroad more than 88 thousand tons of tomatoes of such varieties as Marvelans, Profanes, Cherry, Merlis, Redons, Pink paradise.
But not just a tomato. Having successfully taken advantage of the benefits of doing agricultural business in the country (credit and tax incentives, cheap prices for electricity and gas, climatic conditions, etc.), which significantly reduce the cost of production and allow Turkmen vegetable supplies to be dumped in the markets of the countries of the region, domestic growers expand the range of exports, adding new items to it. For example, according to the specialist, in 2023, the seasonal yield of cucumbers is expected to be more than 1,585 tons, bell pepper - about 1,000 tons.
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