Central Asia is presently one of the fastest growing regions of the world in terms of both: economy and population but it often remains overlooked by produce traders.
With combined population compared to Germany's and a territory larger than India, Central Asia has more than doubled imports of fresh oranges in the recent five years. Uzbekistan is the largest importer of ware potatoes in the world and as population's income rapidly raise, many new opportunities emerge for supplies of mandarins, berries, palm dates, avocadoes, mangoes, and other products. Kazakhstan is the largest net importer of all fruits and vegetables and has the highest per-capita income of all former Soviet republics.
While Uzbekistan is a large exporter of many products, its market windows as well as product mix are completely different from these of Egypt and Morocco. Egypt is already a significant supplier of oranges to the region and its positions on the market are growing rapidly.
The FAO/EBRD Team will organize B2B meetings with leading importers and supermarket chain representatives from Uzbekistan and, possibly, Kazakhstan, provide participants with the detailed professional market overview and a study tour to facilities of produce traders and a wholesale market near the capital city of Tashkent. Prior training to make the most of this mission will also be organized online.
Costs
The Project will cover the costs of the training, organization of the event, facilities of the B2B meeting and a study tour while participants are anticipated to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.
Application process
We will select up to 12 companies from Egypt and Morocco to participate in the mission based on the applications submitted. Application form is available here.
Program of the Trade Mission
- May 20, 2024 – delegates arrive to Tashkent. Afternoon free
- May 21, 2024 – Visits to wholesale market and importer's and/or retailers' facilities, sightseeing tour
- May 22, 2024 – B2B meetings with brief market introduction conference from 10 am until 15 pm followed by free time. Participants can depart after 18 am.
To apply for participation, please register here.
For more information: east-fruit.com