Learning and sharing experience: Study tour of Uzbek producers to Poland on commercial production and post-harvest handling of apples

The Horticultural Value Chain Development project promotes the horticulture sector in Uzbekistan. It makes finance for investments and working capital available for private Uzbek companies via intermediary Uzbek commercial banks and leasing companies. The other purpose of the project is to improve the skills and technology of producers and companies in the horticulture sector.

To encourage farms and agro-related companies to make the most appropriate investments in horticulture, at least 25 farm demonstrations throughout the country showing best practice and innovative technology will be established. In addition, at least eight international study tours for farmers and entrepreneurs of specific horticultural subsectors will be organised.

The first study tour was dedicated to intensive apple production. End of January, a group of Uzbek producers and entrepreneurs visited Poland to learn from Polish experience with intensive apple orchards and post-harvesting processing. The programme included a visit to groups of apple producers with the purpose to demonstrate production technology. It also included visits to sorting, packaging, storage and processing plants.

A highlight was a visit at Dohler, the biggest apple processing plant in Poland. Highly interesting was also the B2B event with 12 Polish companies - producers and suppliers of horticulture technology. Both sides discovered great potential for establishing business relations and technology transfer from Poland to Uzbekistan and are dedicated to follow-up on the established contacts.

The visitors praised the tour as a big learning success. One of the participants, Mr. Sherzod Niyazinbetov, the owner of farm “Biogumus” commented: “I very much enjoyed the trip, it was both informative and touristic! Visiting so huge companies as Dohler gave me a lot of new thoughts of widening my production. Visiting Polish orchards and being informed about methods of growing fruits, gives me the bright idea: as much you love fruit trees, as much harvest it gives you!”

The project is financed through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan. GOPA AFC as the leading consulting company cooperates with CONTEC Consulting and Services GmbH and Eurasian Consulting and Engineering Services GmbH.