4 April 2019 | Dushanbe, Tajikistan – Fifty selected applicants for receiving matching grants gained professional knowledge and improved business skills through a 10 days training on Business Essentials that took place in Hissor city and Jaloliddini Balkhi district of Tajikistan. The training was prepared and conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The training aimed at strengthening the capacity of matching grants applicants on tools needed to invest their remittances into the agricultural sector and agribusiness in Tajikistan. This training plays a crucial role in the preparation of successful business plans and further business operations by the selected beneficiaries. In overall, it aims at promoting economic growth, enhancing food and nutrition security and reducing the rural poverty in Tajikistan.

“Food and agriculture are key to achieving all Sustainable Development Goals. FAO provides technical and capacity development support in technical and business subjects to ensure the sustainability of future operations”, - emphasized Oleg Guchgeldiyev, FAO Representative in Tajikistan. 

Business essentials training was addressed to building up a foundation of a business start-up and day-to-day business work for beginners as well as enhancing knowledge of those who want to take their businesses to the next level. The participants learned about business plans, presentation tips, appropriate business etiquette, effective communication and logistics.

The training consisted of lectures, presentations and practical exercises on business plan development, SWOT analyses, marketing, basic accounting taxation and planning. Trainers’ team was formed from the experts of the project and the Adult Education Centre under the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of Population of Tajikistan.

“Participants were interested in this training topic and demonstrated this through active interactions among each other and discussions about different business models”, - said Guljahon Jonakova, a trainer from the Adult Education Centre. - “Training modules, which were developed by FAO experts, are not complicted to be understood and applied by beneficiaries.   It is assumed that the participants could share their business knowledge with their neighbours who is also interested to setup businesses. Jointly with the FAO experts, we will continue providing beneficiaries with the technical advices and monitoring their achievements.”

At the end of the training,  each participant has developed a draft of his/her business plan to  be finalized during the second training session, which is going to focus on technical skills  needed to establish their businesses in the selected sectors.

 “After this training I feel more focused on my aims. It helped me to understand the best and effective ways of business planning and learn how to calculate both the income and the interest rates for better business choice. I find it very useful for strengthening my networking and communication skills”, - said Shahrullo Sharipov, a beneficiary.

Upon a completion of business and technical trainings, the beneficiaries will present their business plans to the Oversight Committee where the best business proposals will be awarded for grants.  The FAO experts in close collaboration with the Ministry and the local authorities will carefully monitor the assigned grants performance and support the beneficiaries with advisory.

The training was conducted under the pilot “Promoting inclusive economic growth through matching grants” that aims at involving migrants’ remittances to invest into agriculture and agribusiness. This pilot is a part of the FAO global project “Developing Capacity for Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Selected Countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia” that is funded by the Russian Federation. The project is to strategically mediate the challenges in the country and promote cross-sectoral collaboration by providing adequate capacity to effectively pursue and manage coherence between agriculture, nutrition, health, education and social protection sectors.