Nukus, Uzbekistan [February 17, 2023] – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) held its second Business Development Platform Expo for farmers. The event was welcomed and opened by Mr. Xojamurat Kaypnazarov, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Karakalpakstan, and Dr. Frank Rijsberman, GGGI Director General. The Business Development Platform (BDP) has been developed under GGGI’s Aral Sea GRIP project, which is funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
More than 75 farmers and agri-business owners along with 6 government and institutional partners gathered at the event to gain insights into the BDP. GGGI provided a comprehensive overview of the BDP, explaining its operation, purpose, and accessibility through the mobile app – Jasilawil, and the website www.greenaral.uz. The farmers had the opportunity to meet the BDP’s consultants in person and discussed how their knowledge could benefit their agricultural business.
The Business Development Platform has been developed for smallholder and commercial farmers, MSMEs, and institutional enablers in the Aral Sea region. The BDP provides essential information to conduct business in the agriculture and environmental sectors in the Aral Sea region. It is available in multiple languages, including Karakalpak, Russian, Uzbek, and partially in English. The platform’s content is categorized into the sections such as E-learning, Agri-Business, Agri-Finance, Agri-Market, and Advisory Services. It supports day-to-day operations with a variety of training materials, information on locally relevant processors and buyers, market prices, sources of financing including bank loans and funds and advisory services.
The use of the Jasilawil app and corresponding website is meant to directly impact Karakalpakstan’s socio-economic development by empowering farmers and processors with abundant high-quality information and advice accessible in a single location. As a part of the Aral Sea GRIP, the setup of the platform has been made possible through funding from KOICA. The technical and content know-how contributed by Consort Group LLC., German Sparkassenstifung, GIZ Eco-Aral and the Ministry for Natural Resources made the platform available online.
The Business Development Platform website and app were officially launched on October 28th 2022 in Nukus during the first Expo for farmers. GGGI announced its plans to host a third Expo event later this year, continuing its mission to support sustainability of agriculture in the Aral Sea region.