OSCE Centre organizes workshop on food supply chains in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAD, 30 April 2008 - Eleven officials from Turkmenistan's Agriculture Ministry, Food Industry Association, Bread Products Association, Animal Husbandry Association, State Cotton Concern and the National Veterinary Laboratory are taking part today in an OSCE-organized workshop on sustainable value creation in food supply chains.

Around 30 students and faculty members from the State Agricultural University are also attending the workshop, which ends this week and was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad in co-operation with the Foreign Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry.

"The concept of food supply chains is very relevant as it plays a vital role in assessing market demand for food products and protecting consumers from biological, chemical and physical hazards that often arise from a lack of quality control in food processing and distribution," said Ambassador Ibrahim Djikic, Head of the OSCE Centre.

"We are pleased to note the high level of interest displayed by Turkmenistan's institutions that are active in this sector and we hope to continue disseminating best practices and promoting the transfer of technical expertise."

The workshop addresses issues pertaining to food safety, quality control, supply chain economics and ecological concerns, as well as best business practices in food processing, distribution, wholesale and retail.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabad will continue to support programmes aimed at enhancing security and capacity building in the agriculture and food processing sectors.