Regional Integration and Capacity Building to Boost Agribusiness MSMEs Competitiveness and Trade Promotion in Central Asia – CANDY V

Strong and skilled Central Asian BIOs will be able to provide high-quality, demand-driven, and specialized business development services throughout the value chain. This will support local value chain actors to enter new markets, ensure required supply volumes, introduce integrated quality management systems, and generate premium prices, thus fostering growth of whole sector. Special attention is paid to export promotion tools to generate a premium brand price for regional MSMEs.

Key and cross-cutting component is the internal and external economic integration of Central Asian countries by facilitating the cooperation among regional BIOs, private and public sector. The project promotes the establishment of close cooperation between trade representatives of the European Union and Central Asia opening more profitable markets for producers and processors.

Despite the recent economic growth of Central Asia, there is a high need for a more sustainable and inclusive growth model, overcoming challenges connected to governance, connectivity, export promotion, and skill gaps. Important economic sectors of the Central Asian countries are the fruit, vegetable, and livestock production.

CANDY V strengthens the capacities of 50 Business Intermediary Organisations in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan and enables them to promote and sustainably support an enabling environment for 150 agribusiness MSMEs, focussing on the promotion of intra-regional & international trade and fostering the integration of Central Asia countries in the global trade.

At least 60 last year students will be prepared for their career entry, receiving internship in MSMEs and entrepreneurial courses. Farmers, representatives of state institutions, ministries of economy, agriculture and other departments, research/scientific institutions, and consumers are final beneficiaries, as the MSME sector is crucial for transferring the benefits of economic growth to larger parts of the population by providing incomes, goods and services and creating jobs.

CANDY V is in line with the national strategies and priorities of the project countries. Our support is demand driven and requested by private and public actors. The first key to success is bringing together all stakeholders in the food sector. This includes farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises, consulting companies, state authorities and universities or research institutes.

To successfully sell food products on local and export markets, the products must be safe, of good quality, well packaged and nice presented. The companies selling the products must have good relationship to their suppliers (producers & processors) and have access to innovations, well-trained staff, and markets.

Therefore, we promote 1) food safety and traceability, 2) commercial quality, support 3) product promotion and market development, including strong marketing tools such as the Geographical Indications, enhance the interaction between business and science and optimize value chains through 4) cluster approach - the four pillars of CANDY V. We do this by providing trainings, manuals, expert support, by initiating and facilitating regional multi-stakeholder private-public partnerships and platforms.

The impact we expect by the end of the project is:

-           At least 30 Central Asian MSMEs introducing food safety standard to benefit from a financial scheme support.

-           At least 16 MSMEs will optimize their quality management and technological and process management through the introduction of Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) at lower cost (IQMS regional consultants trained and certified to introduce the system);

-           At least 16 CA MSMEs will increase the commercial quality of products, sell at higher prices, increase their turnover and afford to pay for the related consultancy provided by BIOs;

-           At least 30 CA MSMEs will decrease their financial losses through improved customs procedures for transportation of perishable products;

-           At least 30 CA MSMEs will benefit from VAT exemption for producers & retailors for selling local agri-products;

-           CA MSMEs active in livestock production (meat and milk production and processing) can introduce Global GAP at lower costs (by trained and certified local consultants).

-           At least 16 BIOs will play a key role in the supported regional lobbying initiatives;

-           At least 4 selected national products will be piloted as Geographical Indications;