Russian Federation supports innovative farming to stimulate local economy in Tajikistan
Tajikistan is taking steps towards supporting the local economy and promoting sustainable rural development in the Khatlon region. UNDP project “Strengthening Communities in Khatlon Region and Rasht valley in Tajikistan”, funded by the Government of Russian Federation, is designed to contribute to inclusive and sustainable rural development and to stimulate economic empowerment of women and men there.
At the end of October 2021, a joint mission comprising of representatives from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Tajikistan, and United Nations Development Programme undertook a field visit to Kulob city and Khovaling district to review the progress of sub-projects funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.
As part of the mission, the delegation met with representatives of the youth mobile group trained on innovative methods of gardening and visited the Free Economic Zone (FEZ) office facilities in Kulob supported within the framework of the project. They also saw modern agrarian equipment, including 20 sets of backpack moto-sprayers, 40 sets of garden shears, 8 sets of motor-cultivator bought in the framework of the project.
Also, during the field visit mobile module blocks for hairdressing, shoe repairing, storing for chemicals and minerals, and a food station in Temurmalik, Vose, Kulob, and Khovaling districts were presented. These facilities create favorable conditions for the employment of more than 20 vulnerable people, introduce innovative, cost-effective ways of business set-up.
By the end of this year the project plans to create three cold storage facilities in Kulob, Vose, and Tojikobod districts, attract Russian expert to introduce local farmers with innovative farming tools, develop four mobile applications to ease the access of the rural population to services, and support local economic and income generation projects within the Small Innovation Fund to support local value chains for production, processing, and sale of local green products.