Dushanbe, Tajikistan, May 25, 2021 — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Bactria Food 2021 Trade Forum in Bokhtar city. This international event promotes regional trade and connectivity across Central Asia and beyond.
Bactria Food 2021, co-hosted by the Khatlon government, the Export Development Agency of Tajikistan, and USAID’s Competitiveness, Trade, and Jobs Activity, brought together over 200 Khatlon region horticulture producers with buyers from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan to facilitate trade for Tajik exports.
In his welcoming remarks, USAID Tajikistan’s Acting Mission Director Keith E. Simmons, noted, “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”.
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 increased their sales by 40 percent. Over the last year, USAID support resulted in the signing of contracts representing $182,770 worth of Tajik exports, and letters of intent valued at more than $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.
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USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit the USAID Central Asia website: https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia.
USAID