DUSHANBE, June 13, Asia-Plus  -- IFC CO Tajikistan has launched the next stage of the Southern Tajikistan Agribusiness Supply Chains Development Project, Muhiddin Tojiyev, public relations assistant, IFC Co Tajikistan, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.   

The project helps to diversify the agricultural base in southern Tajikistan away from cotton, by working to strengthen tomato and milk supply chains in the region.  The project is helping local farming units improve productivity, management skills and product quality, and works with local processors to provide a market for their output.

According to Tojiyev, the project centers on farms that supply Geha Foods, a new tomato processing plant currently being commissioned, and Dushanbe Milk Factory, the leading local milk producer. 

The project will use the impetus created by these recent investments in value-added processing to address shortages in the supply of raw materials, thereby benefiting people in six key regions in southern Tajikistan.  It will work with farms and processors in Vahdat, Hissor, Shahrinav, Tursunzoda Fayzobod and Roudaki to develop contract models that provide incentives for quality, volume and timely delivery, and with local banks to develop systems of managing farm risk and mentoring farms to create a sustainable farm credit system.

To address improvements in the enabling environment, the project will also work with the government on regulatory issues.

According to information posted on the IFC website, as of January 1, 2008, the project surveyed the dairy supply zone of Dushanbe Dairy to assess the main obstacles to efficient dairy supply, trained or consulted 40 tomato and dairy farms on improved farm technologies and management practices, conducted four field day seminars for tomato farmers to demonstrate modern farm technologies and established baseline of lending data for tomato and dairy lending, currently working with 5 financial institutions to improve agricultural lending