Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Dried apricots are a national pride in Tajikistan, as well as a kind of alternative currency.

The production of dried apricots is simple but painstaking: first, the fruits are harvested, then they are fumigated with sulfur, dried for two days under the sun, then a bone is squeezed out of each apricot, they are dried again for two days, and only after that can they be packaged.

Fumigation of sulfur is done in order to protect future dried apricots from insects and preserve its golden color.

For many centuries, the city of Isfara is considered the breadbasket of Tajikistan. There is a temperate climate and fertile soil, which in itself is rare in a country where 93 percent of the territory is covered with mountains. The city of Isfara has always been famous for its dried fruit: 17 out of 20 Tajik enterprises for processing are located here. However, until recently, local companies found it difficult to export products abroad, because other countries set other quality standards.

Thanks to the support of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), local residents have learned to do business in such a way so that they can enter international markets.

Due to international certification, foreign countries wish to buy dried fruits and nuts from Tajikistan. Organic products from IsfaraFoods, for example, are supplied to Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Canada and the U.S.. There is fierce competition in the international market: quality requirements are very high, but thanks to investments in new technologies, Tajik companies manage to meet these standards.

Tajikistan is among the top three suppliers of dried apricots to the huge Russian market, inferior to only Turkey and China.

Up to 70 percent of the income of rural residents comes from the production and sale of dried apricots.

UNDP is an organization in the UN system that provides free and non-politicized development assistance to its member states.

UNDP operates in 177 countries and territories and operates in three main areas such as democratic governance and peacebuilding, sustainable development and climate and disaster resilience.

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