A profitable platform for developing cooperation and increasing export potential. The International Investment Forum "Khatlon-Invest – 2024" is taking place in the south of Tajikistan, the correspondent of the MIR 24 TV channel Zarina Abdunazarova reports. This time, the loud sounds of karnai are not invited to the festivities, but to the exhibition within the framework of the investment forum. The region shows what it produces and what businesses can invest in. "Khatlon region is one of the largest exporters of agricultural products in the country. 25 districts and 40 enterprises of the region presented their products. Several companies from other regions are also involved," said Umed Zoirzoda, head of the Export Agency under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in the Khatlon region. The guests are greeted with pomegranate juice from the fruits of the new harvest. An average of six thousand tons of pomegranate are harvested annually in the region. In general, more than half of the republic's agricultural products are produced in the Khatlon region, they export about 100 thousand tons per year, but there is more potential. "We are interested in goods that we can export, for example, Tajik honey – natural, organic, pure. They are in demand in India. Dried fruits, especially varieties of dried apricots, are very few such useful products in India," said Ajay Agrawal, Second Secretary for Political and Information Affairs of the Indian Embassy in the Republic of Tajikistan. Khatlon is also famous for cotton. There is a special interest in these products at the forum. "Our company produces and processes only raw cotton, produces only cotton fiber, lint, and uluk from cotton seeds. We have very good quality, we mainly work only with Russia," said Gulom Salokhov, General Director of the cotton production company. Remote areas tend to specialize in a single product. There is a whole program "One village – one product" in the country. Farmers have the opportunity to enter a wide market. "Such unpeeled pistachios are an environmentally friendly and at the same time cheap product. It is cleaned, processed and squeezed with oil, which is also in demand, and cookies and products for healthy lifestyle are produced from the remaining mass. We make lemonade without admixture from lemon, cream from the pulp, aromatic little from the peel. There are a lot of pistachios and lemons in these areas," said Haraguchi Akihisa, chief adviser to the project. Khatlon region offers its own opportunities for investors in the tourism industry. Ethno- and ecotourism is actively developing in the region. Workshops on making traditional items are also held for guests. "Every girl in our area should be able to make such carpets and paths. They are woven from sheep's wool, because they are warm and help well with rheumatism and joint pain," said Zuhro Khaknazarzoda, head of the Department for Women and Family Affairs of the khukumat of Kubodien district. 30 cooperation agreements worth $200 million have already been signed at the forum. Participants will be invited to visit the enterprises so that they can see for themselves the conditions under which the products presented at the exhibition are produced.
