Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Embassy in Paris in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and the Export Promotion Agency held a webinar for exporters of Uzbekistan with the participation of D. Rodin, director of Advantage Central Asia, on 17 April.

The goal of the event was to discuss issues of working in the European and French food markets in the new conditions caused by the coronavirus epidemic, scenarios of exporters, as well as government support for suppliers.

During the event, in particular, the following issues were discussed:

- The behavior of buyers in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic has changed. Consumers mainly buy non-perishable products, including processed fruits and vegetables (frozen and dry products), natural juices without concentrates, as well as canned products, as well as legumes. This, in turn, opens up new opportunities for exporters from Uzbekistan.

- the mechanism for the sale of agricultural products is described in detail, the principle of which is based on the construction of a supply chain from a domestic producer to the final foreign buyer. This chain includes: manufacturer, exporter, importer of the first link, incl. sales agent, importer of the next link (food processor, packer, wholesaler) and retail trade (grocery stores, street markets, food services, online trading). It is concluded that one of the effective delivery options in the current environment is to work through clusters, which can serve as a “single window” for manufacturers and exporters.

- Special attention is paid to certification and phytosanitary restrictions in European markets. It is reported that the availability of relevant certificates, including 1) Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000); 2) International Selected Standards (IFS); 3) Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSI); 3) Integrated Agricultural Production Management System (Global GAP). At the same time, it is noted that not all importers require the same certificates or the presence of all certificates. Nevertheless, it is recommended for exporters to work on the issue of obtaining certification, in particular the FSSC 22000 and IFS.

- problems encountered by suppliers during the export of dry fruits and vegetables. In particular, some exports lack a Global GAP certificate, which makes it difficult to ship products. Others have problems with the phytosanitary authorities of the EU on the border with Latvia related to the presence of molds (Ochratoxin A) in dried grapes, which causes the denial of the passage of goods to the EU.

In general, it was noted that current realities open up new opportunities for the sale of processed fruits and vegetables in European markets, including frozen and dried fruits and vegetables, canned foods, due to increased demand for them due to the possibility of long-term storage of these types of products, as well as their nutritional value. At the same time, an important condition for entering the EU market is the presence of internationally recognized quality standards and certificates, as well as appropriate presentable designations indicating all the necessary information on the label.

At the same time, an important condition for entering the EU market is the presence of internationally recognized quality standards and certificates, as well as appropriate presentable design.

As a result of the event, it was decided to continue a similar practice of conducting webinars on pressing issues in the process of selling domestic products to European markets.