Turkmenistan, with a GDP growth rate of over 6% per year, is undergoing a transition towards a more privatized economy and productivity growth. The agricultural and food processing sectors present export opportunities that are still niche, but with significant potential. It is important for the Made in Italy sector to carve out a market share in this developmental phase in order to open a commercial channel, whose profitability is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.
These processes have a significant impact on the sector due to the strong push towards privatization, diversification, and support for local production. The result has been, in recent years, a notable increase in agricultural production.
The transition is accompanied by substantial state investment programs, support for industrialization, including through digitalization and technological innovation, in a dual approach of import substitution and export growth. In order to achieve this latter goal, production processes focus on compliance with international health and quality standards, as well as the modernization of logistics infrastructure and the cold chain.
Among the main agricultural production sectors are: livestock and animal-based products, grain production and processing (wheat and rice), and fruits and vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, melons, grapes). Also noteworthy is the development of aquaculture, a still limited but rapidly growing sector, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, which have been significantly impacted by import duties – of particular interest are the potential for wine production.
Recently, the ICE Agency organized a business mission to Ashgabat from October 16 to 18, 2023, for Italian companies producing agricultural technologies (including irrigation and viticulture), livestock farming, aquaculture, food technologies (including the cold chain and oenology), and technologies for packaging, bottling, and packaging.
The technological seminar was held in Ashgabat on October 17, 2023, at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan. Among the participants in the forum were representatives of the Italian business mission, representatives of the relevant ministries, as well as local entrepreneurs. The Italian business mission was represented by the companies Rinieri, Vignetinox, Ricciarelli SPA, Gruppo RI.MA, FBR-ELPO SPA, SARBA International, led by the director of ICE Istanbul, Riccardo Landi. As part of the seminar, representatives of the Italian private sector held a series of bilateral meetings with their Turkmen counterparts. The following day, the Italian business mission visited seven industrial plants for food processing, agricultural production, and agricultural machinery sales located around Ashgabat.
Below is the Market Note prepared by ICE Istanbul on the agro-industry and packaging sector in Turkmenistan, which can be downloaded from this link.
Last update: March 1, 2024