The management of the association and the REAP project team participated in the international export forum "Bactria Food 2022", which was held on May 24-25, 2022 in Bokhtar, Tajikistan. The forum brought together over 200 participants from across the region and abroad.
This year, producers and exporters of horticultural products from Khatlon Region established contacts with buyers from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UAE and other countries to promote agricultural exports from Tajikistan.
Nasibakhon Aminova, Executive Director of NAMSB, made a presentation on resource efficiency and implementation of sustainable production and consumption practices in agricultural processing enterprises, in light of the #REAP project in Tajikistan.
In her speech, the speaker noted that "consumption and production all over the world is the driving force of the global economy. They are based on the use of the natural environment and resources in a way that still has a devastating impact on the planet. Sustainable consumption and production seeks to "do more and better with less."
As part of the REAP project, international consultants, together with local consultants:
1. conduct an audit of MSME production,
2. identify all the resources used in the form of water, electricity, raw materials, etc,
3. and think of ways to minimize them.
Next comes the reduction of waste and emissions. It is important for businesses in the country to be more environmentally friendly, which is required by modern approaches to production. These reasons generate the ability for MSMEs to cope with resource shortages and maintain product quality, increase productivity, business sustainability and their competitiveness, as well as provide opportunities for close cooperation in know-how clusters and improve the working environment within the industry and the company's image."
The REAP project is implemented by an international consortium (with the financial support of the European Union) that includes: the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises of Tajikistan (NAMSB), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan (CCI of Uzbekistan), the German Consulting Bureau adelphi, Association for the Promotion of Recycling and Environmental Protection in Austria (AREC), STENUM Asia Society for Sustainable Development (STENUM Asia), Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The consortium is led by the Regional Environmental Center of Central Asia (CAREC).