SECO started working with ITC for trade promotion in Central Asia in 2002, and until present the collaboration was purely focused on the agro-industry area (Fruit & Vegetable). One of the successful outcomes of that Phase was certification for ISO 22000 standard, Food Safety Management System, of two pilot Tajik fruit and vegetable processing enterprises – Elita Istaravshan and Ilmi Istehsoli. Based on the outstanding achievements of the previous interventions acknowledged as very successful in a difficult environment, SECO decided to enlarge this approach to a new sector.

The new Technical Assistance project in the Textile and Clothing (T&C) industry financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will be implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade as well as with the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Tajikistan. This is the 3^rd Phase of the Project “Trade Promotion in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan” with the overall budget of USD 3’660 million, of which the share of Tajikistan amounts to USD 1’500 million.

For Tajikistan component the Textile and Clothing sector was selected following consideration of a list of priority sectors submitted by the Government of Tajikistan to ITC and ITC’s own analysis of sectors with export potential. The Government of Tajikistan considers the sector as having significant potential to grow and to make a contribution to export diversification of the country. The production of cotton fabrics and clothes, including handcrafted applications has a long tradition in the country; it constituted a major branch of employment during the Soviet era. Although the dynamics of the sector development has significantly declined ever since, it still contributes substantially to the livelihood of vulnerable parts of the population – mostly rural people and women generating income from cotton, textiles and garments production.

Project Goal

The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the sustainable expansion and diversification of SMEs’ exports in Tajikistan through increasing the competitiveness of the textile and clothing (“T&C”) industry towards existing markets as well as towards new markets and improving the quality management infrastructure.
The choice of the textile sector and the project content builds on lessons learnt, analyses, evaluations of the Phase II and needs assessment carried out by the stakeholders. The overall objective of the project, which is scheduled to complete towards the end of 2011, is to contribute to the sustainable expansion and diversification of Small Medium Enterprises exports in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan through increasing competitiveness of the textile and clothing industry and improving the quality management infrastructure of the countries.   

Project description

The project interventions will become more specific and tailored to the specific needs of groups of enterprises:

Step 1:  trainings will be offered to all sectoral enterprises and institutions, which will be given an opportunity to select subjects in accordance with their business priorities;

Step 2: participation of enterprises in trade fairs, marketing missions, and buyers and sellers events will be organized on a cost-sharing basis. The selection will be made on following basic criteria: level of export readiness, level of cost-sharing, commitment to invest time and resources, ownership and size or affiliation with the government. Finer indicators will be defined and agreed upon after Step 1.
Step 3: the transfer of information and know-how between the groups of enterprises that directly benefited from a specific trade fair or marketing mission will be ensured through after-the-event debriefings hosted and moderated by the partnering service providers.