In May 2019, dried apricots labelled «Made in Tajikistan» appeared on the shelves of specialized German and Italian Fair Trade stores. With the consulting support of Neksigol Mushovir farmers of the Mevahoi Firdavs cooperative in the Asht district were able to export Extra apricots at 50% more than the cost on the local market.

Dried fruit processing company Isfara Food LLC helped farmers prepare products for export to European countries, including proper sorting, cleaning, sizing and packaging according to the requirements of a European buyer.

This success was made possible with the support of the Hilfswerk International project “CANDY IV-Specialised & integrated services for export-oriented food processing SMEs” with financial assistance from the European Union under the “Central Asia – Invest IV” program.

Within the framework of the project, Neksigol Mushovir helps the Mevahoi Firdavs cooperative and the Isfara Food enterprise to implement international standards for organic production and the principles of Fairtrade.

This was a pilot shipment of Tajik-dried apricots to Europe, and partners are working to ensure regular supplies. This year, the farmer’s cooperative Mevahoi Firdavs expects to receive about 220 tons of organic dried apricots.

Akmal Nasrulloev