KHUJAND, December 17, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A roundtable meeting formally titled “Exemption of Import of Agricultural Goods Production Means from VAT as One of Efficient Mechanisms to Strengthen and Develop Agrarian Sector of Tajikistan” was held in Khujand yesterday.

Organized by the Agribusiness Association of Tajikistan under technical support of the USAID Business Environment Improvement (BEI) Project and ACTED and CECI, the meeting considered a survey on problems facing farming units and suppliers of agricultural machines in the country, carried out by the Agribusiness Association under technical and financial assistance of international organizations.

Recommendations for the governmental institutions have been adopted on the basis of the survey outcomes.

The survey targeted 547 farming units and 25 agricultural machine suppliers in Sughd and Khatlon provinces as well as Gorno Badakhshan.

The meeting participants noted that cancellation of 18-percent value added tax (VAT) for imported mineral fertilizers and pesticides could provide practical assistance to dehqon (peasant) farms as Tajikistan did not yet have enterprises producing the mentioned goods.