DUSHANBE, June 6, 2013, Asia-Plus -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as part of continuous efforts to support the agribusiness sector in Tajikistan, will host an event for leading agribusiness companies and associations.

According to the ERBD Dushanbe Office, “Accelerating Agribusiness in the Republic of Tajikistan” will take place in the Sughd province on June 7, 2013

The EBRD’s Agribusiness and Small Business Support teams note that the event will take place in the conference hall of the Bahoriston sanatorium.

Accelerating Agribusiness in the Republic of Tajikistan will bring together leading agribusinesses in the Khujand region and representatives from local government, the Agribusiness Association, the Association of Entrepreneurs and other foreign investors to discuss ways in which EBRD support and investment can accelerate enterprise growth in the sector.

Representatives of Sughd province government will open the event, together with Ulf Hindstrom, Head of the EBRD Resident Office in Dushanbe. 

Representatives from both the EBRD Agribusiness and Small Business Support teams will then present several  cases  of recent  large scale  projects  working with  companies in the  dairy  and beverage  sectors  in the region  who have received EBRD investment.  The projects focused on strengthening the companies’ business planning, accounting and production and the event will conclude with a question and answer session.

The EBRD promotes growth in Tajikistan’s agribusiness sector both through investment and connecting agribusinesses to business expertise.  EBRD involvement in the agribusiness sector spans the whole production chain, from farming, processing and trading to food distribution, packaging and retail.  The Bank offers various forms of financing, in addition to supporting clients with technical assistance projects to help improve financial reporting standards or production processes.  Through Small Business Support, EBRD also provides access to local and international experts, grounded in practical solutions to real problems.  With expertise in management, marketing, quality management, engineering and beyond, working with Small Business Support helps enterprises become fitter, healthier, more prosperous and more resilient.

Since it began operations in Tajikistan in 1992, the EBRD has directly invested more than €25 million in the agribusiness sector in the country.  Small Business Support has been working in Tajikistan since 1999 and with funding from the Early Transition Countries Fund (ETCF), EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (ESSF), the USA, Japan, and Luxemburg has undertaken almost 400 projects working with small-to-medium-sized companies and held more than 100 specialized events aimed at developing the quality and availability of consultancy services in Tajikistan.