First Turkmen farm achieves GLOBALG.A.P. certification – more expected

Ýigit farm’s 34 hectares of greenhouse make it Turkmenistan’s largest greenhouse tomato producer. Already a cutting-edge operation, the farm has been using GLOBALG.A.P.’s Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) system to track and improve their sustainability and safety practices and to ensure greater access for Ýigit tomatoes in local and international markets.

GLOBALG.A.P. certification seen as key to boosting international trade

Trade Central Asia (TCA) is a program operated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to encourage economic growth in Central Asia by improving trade. In 2021, USAID trained five Turkmen farm consultants in our internationally recognized GLOBALG.A.P. farm assurance system. There is now a total of 10 such trained consultants in Turkmenistan who are ready to educate producers in internationally accepted good agricultural practices, including aspects of food safety, sustainability, and worker welfare.

Support from USAID allows TCA to offer these consultation services for free, with guidance provided by Akmurad Gurdov, GLOBALG.A.P.’s certified trainer in Turkmenistan. The vital training offered under this program gives farms access to the latest tools and knowledge for implementing internationally accepted safe and sustainable farming practices.

Ýigit farm is first, others to follow

Miwe, Turkmenistan’s largest almond farm, is currently pursuing GLOBALG.A.P. certification, with certification costs partially covered by TCA. Miwe’s GLOBALG.A.P. audit is expected in September of this year. After Miwe, there will still be funding available through TCA to support certification of a third fruit or vegetable producer in Turkmenistan.

Improving access to information

To encourage wider adoption of good agricultural practices, and to foment trade, TCA is developing Turkmen and Russian-language versions of GLOBALG.A.P. training materials. TCA is also coordinating with multiple greenhouse producers to set up consultation with an international greenhouse advisory service to bring additional training in GLOBALG.A.P. standards and further boost market access for agricultural products exported from Turkmenistan.

Visit our website to learn more about how our suite of farm assurance tools make farm produce more marketable and improve international trade.