Ready4Trade project helps women entrepreneurs reach European market
When international trade prioritizes gender equality, not only do women benefit by getting jobs with better conditions and benefits, but the economy of a country benefits as a whole. In Turkmenistan, the number of female entrepreneurs, women-owned and managed businesses, and overall women working in trade has been growing every year. But still when it comes to expanding trade across borders, small businesses like Horjun face issues.
Horjun is a textile business which produces trendy eco-cotton bags. Their workshops employ 35 women who sew an annual capacity of 1.5 million bags. Horjun’s director noted that as they enter international export markets and increase their production capacity of wholesale shipments, they would like to maintain the high quality and affordability of their products that they have become known for.
Over the past year, Horjun’s management has been taking part in Ready4Trade’s Export Management Coaching Initiative (EMCI) and e-commerce trainings which were launched in the beginning of 2021 in Turkmenistan. Through these trainings, the company has learned about the international legal and regulatory framework, international standards of goods acceptance, local documentation procedures required to prepare goods for export, and collected data about the market and their competition. They are now working on expanding their online visibility for B2B and B2C and are trying to make their business export competitive.
Horjun plans on register their business on Alibaba, Flagma, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
So far, more than 10 Turkmen women-led enterprises like Horjun have taken part in the EMCI and e-commerce trainings and have had similarly positive outcomes.
Another participant, entrepreneur Shasenem Garlyeva, who produces unique home decor items made from camel wool, says that her products have garnered high interest in some European countries. But that the main barrier to export for her was the lack of knowledge about international trade and market requirements. Ready4Trade helped her by providing tailored information on standards for goods acceptance, special requirements for packaging and labeling of goods, and some marketing insights. As a result, Garlyeva was successfully able to send a first trial batch of her product to the Netherlands and has aims to further expand her export geography.
Since January 2021, the Export Management Coaching Initiative has been providing practical and action-oriented advisory services to businesses through on-the-job coaching delivered by local experts. These local experts are experienced in import, export, certification, trucking as well as logistics. While the e-commerce program, which is designed and adapted to the needs of Turkmen MSMEs, enables local businesses to enter digital markets and helps them understand the steps required to participate in the international trade through online channels. All project components and aimed to boost company’s business skills and reduce obstacles which MSMEs encounter in their businesses.
According to ITC, women globally are most likely to work in the textile sector. In Turkmenistan, women entrepreneurs lead much of the textile sector, which uses local raw materials such as cotton, wool, silk, and leather for production of apparel and handicrafts. Garlyeva is proud of her decor business and others in the sector saying that, “enterprises like mine help create jobs for women artisans and allow us to preserve the national heritage. We are glad that our colorful ethnic products will soon be available for export”.
Both Horjun and Shasenem Garlyeva’s business appreciated the practical advice they received from participating in the two training initiatives. Thanks to Ready4Trade, both companies were able to increase their visibility in online marketplaces as well as gain information to successfully export.
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The Ready4Trade Central Asia project is a joint initiative of the European Union and the International Trade Centre. Its aim is to contribute to the overall sustainable and inclusive economic development of Central Asia by boosting intra-regional and international trade in the region. Beneficiaries of the Ready4Trade Central Asia project include governments, small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular women-led enterprises, and Business Support Organizations. The project operates in 5 countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.