The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Bactria Food 2021 Trade Forum in Bokhtar, the capital of the Khatlon province, on May 25. This international event promotes regional trade and connectivity across Central Asia and beyond, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.
Co-hosted by the Khatlon government, the Export Development Agency of Tajikistan, and USAID’s Competitiveness, Trade, and Jobs Activity, Bactria Food 2021 reportedly brought together over 200 Khatlon region horticulture producers with buyers from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and some other countries to facilitate trade for Tajik exports.
In his welcoming remarks, USAID Tajikistan’s Acting Mission Director Keith E. Simmons, said, “By helping firms become more competitive at the regional level, USAID helps develop a more diverse and competitive private sector and achieves development through exports. Improving regional trade expands economic development, strengthens cross-border linkages, and ultimately leads to greater stability in the region.”
First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Davlatali Said, noted that the main objective of the forum was in facilitating development of entrepreneurship and increase in the country’s agricultural exports.
He further noted that the government had created favorable atmosphere for improvement of business climate in the country.
Davlatali Said proposed to hold the Bactria Food 2021 Trade Forum annually that would give entrepreneurs an opportunity to establish contacts, conclude agreements and increase agricultural exports.
He, in particular, said that Tajikistan last year exported agricultural goods to ten countries of the world, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and others.
An exhibition of products of Tajik agrarians and industrialists was held on the sidelines of the Forum.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the governments of Tajikistan’s Khatlon province and Uzbekistan’s Surkhandaryo province on the sidelines of the forum. Besides, a number of contracts were signed between Tajik entrepreneurs and buyers from Pakistan, Turkey, Russia and Georgia on exports of Tajik agricultural goods, including onions, cotton, grapes and dried fruits.
The U.S. Embassy says Bactria Food 2021 included sessions on the latest horticulture trends, cross-border trade, marketing, export promotion, and export standards and requirements. It also included a trade fair, meetings between Khatlon horticulture producers and international buyers, and field visits to local producers.
Despite the disruption in trade caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tajik exporters who receive USAID assistance have reportedly increased their sales by 40 percent. Over the last year, USAID support resulted in the signing of contracts representing US$182,770 worth of Tajik exports, and letters of intent valued at more than US$1 million.
Agriculture constitutes the largest sector of Tajikistan’s economy. It contributes 22.6 percent of the country’s GDP and employs 45.7 percent of the Tajik labor force. To support agribusinesses, USAID provides demand-driven assistance to agricultural associations, cooperatives, market integrators, and small and medium enterprises to take advantage of domestic, regional, and international market opportunities.
