On 5 December, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) handed over a new batch of equipment to the State Plant Quarantine Service of Turkmenistan under the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan. The delivery included a server, laptops, monitors, a printer and other devices, according to the news website Asmannews.

The cooperation is aimed at introducing the ‘ePhyto Solution’ system in the country, developed under the auspices of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to transition to electronic phytosanitary certificates and improve data exchange between services in Central Asia and other regions.

The project is designed to increase phytosanitary security, speed up paperwork and reduce barriers to trade in agricultural products. The next stage involves the creation of national software, a trial exchange of electronic certificates and training for State Plant Quarantine Service specialists.

The initiative is being implemented within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between GIZ and the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan on the regional project ‘Trade Facilitation in Central Asia’ (TFCA) for 2024-2026.