LocationsWith eight workers and handmade equipment in a remote town, Mevai Zarrin has become the first enterprise in Tajikistan to receive international food safety certification and export locally produced dried fruits to international markets.
From handmade equipment to international standards: how Tajik dried fruits are reaching Central Asian and European markets
September 25, 2026
A Mevai Zarrin worker shares her experience working at the dried-fruit processing enterprise with a TV journalist during a visit to the company in Isfara, northern Tajikistan.
UNDP Tajikistan
Small idea, big dreams
Ikhtiyor Alimov, 43, is from Isfara, a city in northern Tajikistan near the Kyrgyz border. The city is well known for producing dried fruit, especially apricots. Like many families in Isfara, Ikhtiyor’s family has long been involved in dried-fruit production. But small producers often lack the equipment they need to make higher-quality products.
Ten years ago, Ikhtiyor decided to do something about it. He founded a small enterprise called “Mevai Zarrin”, starting with just eight workers. Together, he and his team built simple, handmade equipment to process fresh apricots and, later, plums.
His business gradually grew, with its production capacity eventually reaching 200 kilograms a day. Yet equipment and manual processing also defined the limits of Mevai Zarrin’s growth.
“But given the conditions we were working in, it was a struggle,” Ikhtiyor says. “I was looking for opportunities to meet new people, potential partners and customers. I wanted to take part in events and exhibitions where I could present our products and build new connections.”
One such opportunity came at an agricultural products exhibition in Dushanbe. Ikhtiyor was there to showcase his dried apricots and plums when he met his first partners and customers from Kazakhstan.
These connections gave him a foothold in new markets, and as he explored further opportunities, he eventually decided to focus his business entirely on international markets.
Ikhtiyor Alimov, founder of Mevai Zarrin, at the dried-fruit processing enterprise in Isfara, northern Tajikistan.
UNDP Tajikistan
A challenge that brought a new opportunity
To fulfil those ambitions, Mevai Zarrin needed to change how it produced its dried fruit. The handmade equipment was already working at its limits, and processing left a considerable amount of waste.
Ikhtiyor knew he needed better equipment to take the business to the next level. He began looking for an opportunity to expand his production.
Through the Association of Dried Fruit Producers, Ikhtiyor learned about opportunities available through Aid for Trade and LITACA projects, which supported local farmers and producers in Isfara and across Tajikistan’s Sughd region.
His business faced challenges similar to those experienced by other Aid for Trade-supported businesses: the potential to grow was there, but equipment and financing challenges held it back. From 2022 to 2026, Aid for Trade has worked with 347 businesses, farmers and other participants in agricultural value chains across Khatlon and Sughd to address such constraints, enabling improved production, value-added and connections to reach export markets and create jobs.
Ikhtiyor speaks to local journalists about the company’s growth and experience in the dried-fruit business.
UNDP Tajikistan
For Mevai Zarrin, receiving support also meant building connections closer to home. To qualify for UNDP support, producers had to meet two key conditions: buy raw materials from local farmers and build links between farmers and producers in the north and south of Tajikistan. The aim was to help producers in the Khatlon region, where many businesses have limited access to international markets, reach new buyers through partnerships with businesses in the north.
Mevai Zarrin met these conditions, became eligible for support from UNDP projects, and signed contracts with 10 farming households in Muminobod, Khovaling and Bokhtar to purchase their fruit.
Partnerships that help small farmers grow
For an individual farmer, a small harvest may not be enough to attract a large buyer or processing company. Combining produce from several farmers together provides the volume needed larger buyers need and makes it easier to organise transportation.
Through these partnerships, farmers gain a more reliable outlet for their fruit and a route to markets beyond their local area. Mevai Zarrin, in turn, secures a steadier supply of raw materials to expand its processing business.
A worker sorts and checks dried apricots before packaging.
UNDP Tajikistan
And for Tajikistan’s economy, processing more agricultural products locally means creating more value, supporting jobs and opening new opportunities for exports.
“We not only received modern equipment for cutting, processing and drying fruit, but also took part in practical training and gained hands-on experience from agricultural and market experts” Ikhtoyor says with a smile.
Modern production, less waste
The support brought major changes to Mevai Zarrin. The company moved from traditional, manual processing and packaging to more modern, industrial production. Its packaging was also improved to meet international standards.
“We were able to reduce our product waste by 20%,” Ikhtiyor says. “Our production capacity increased, and we can now produce five types of dried fruit: apples, apricots, pears, quince and plums.”
Packaged dried fruits produced by Mevai Zarrin, ready for markets.
UNDP Tajikistan
More production, more jobs
Before receiving the support, Mevai Zarrin focused mainly on apricots and plums. As Mevai Zarrin expanded its production and product range, it needed more people. The number of its employees has grown from eight to 15, with 14 of them being local women. Mevai Zarrin’s contribution to the local jobs and economy and economy was part of the 147 new jobs created by the initiative, with 90 of them for women employees.
Following the training, the enterprise also received support to upgrade its equipment and boost its productive capacity, including fruit and berry cutting line and a jam production line. This allowed Mevai Zarrin to process more fruit and diversify its products.
Soon Mevai Zarrin was able to process 600–650 kg per day — about three times more than before. Today, Mevai Zarrin exports around 260 tonnes of dried fruit annually, with the value of its exports reaching approximately US$504,000.
Women workers at Mevai Zarrin sort, process and package dried fruit at the enterprise in Isfara.
UNDP Tajikistan
With more products and greater capacity, Mevai Zarrin was ready to pursue new buyers abroad. But entering those markets also meant demonstrating that its food safety practices met internationally recognised requirements.
Obtaining FSSC 22000, an internationally recognised food safety certification, was an essential step that could expand the opportunities and propel the business forward. Following a preparation and examination process, the company became the first in Tajikistan to receive the certification, marking an important step in improving its food safety practices and strengthening its ability to compete in international markets.
The certification has also helped the company pursue new export opportunities in Europe.
“At the moment, we are in talks with buyers from Germany. We have already sent them samples of our products and are waiting for their response,” Ikhtiyor says hopefully.
Other Tajik producers are also building connections in Germany. At the ANUGA food and beverage trade fair in 2025, 13 Tajik companies supported by Aid for Trade made 928 business contacts and signed export contracts worth about US$1.9 million.
A worker sorts and checks dried rosehips before packaging.
UNDP Tajikistan
Looking ahead: Aiming for new markets
For Ikhtiyor, Europe is part of a wider ambition. He plans to reach customers in both Europe and the United States, building new partnerships and expanding exports.
These ambitions also reflect a national push to earn more from what Tajikistan produces and broaden what it exports. Aid for Trade contributed to the country’s State Programme on Export Development 2026–2030, which places value addition and export diversification at its centre.
Now, Ikhtiyor’s goal is to bring Tajikistan-made dried fruit to more customers — not only in neighbouring countries, but around the world.
By Nigora Alimadzoda
Communication Analyst, UNDP Tajikistan
