KULOB, September 14, 2012, Asia-Plus — Farmers in Khatlon’s Khovaling district have begun a campaign of harvesting early potatoes. Three early potato varieties – Pamela, Diafla (phonetically spelled), and Yona (phonetically spelled) – have been planted in the region under the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s program, the Tajik Agricultural Finance Framework (TAFF).
The TAFF regional officer Qiyomiddin Izzatov says the crop will mainly be sent to the seed stock for the future good harvests.
Besides, Khovaling farmers purchased 97 beef cattle last winter under the TAXX program, Izzatov noted.
In the Hisor district (central Tajikistan), farmers have planted trees of early apple varieties on 1.5 hectares and the apple-harvesting campaign is currently under way, the TAFF regional officer noted.
Set by the EBRD in 2007, the Tajik Agricultural Finance Framework (TAFF) aims to support the restructuring and diversification of the agricultural sector including the cotton subsector. The Framework”s main objective is to provide alternative finance to small and medium-sized farms and support the freedom to farm concept whilst fostering best farming practices.
TAFF builds on the successful Tajik Micro and Small Enterprise Finance Framework through which the EBRD has provided credit lines since late 2003. TAFF financing of up to US$35 million through participating local financial intermediaries provides small farmers in Tajikistan with alternative sources of credit for the purchase of farming supplies. The project is accompanied by technical cooperation funds to cover costs of training for participating financial institutions and agricultural advisers. These funds are provided by the EBRD ETC multi donor fund and the US/EBRD SME Financing Facility.
TAFF II further aspires to restructuring Tajikistan’s agricultural sector, enhancing its competitiveness and the capacity of the private sector as a whole. These objectives can be achieved through facilitating coordination among cooperatives and rebuilding linkages between agro-businesses and farmers in order to strengthen value chains. Simultaneously, know-how will be transferred to all parties involved – farmers, PIs, extension service providers and other stakeholders.
