Grant Competition to support Collaborative Undertakings in Lankaran-Astara Economic Region (Azerbaijan)

The overall goal of the project is the development of modern and competitive Fruit and Vegetable Value Chains in Lankaran-Astara Economic Region (LAIR). In the long term, this will result in: (i) more efficient access to domestic and foreign markets; (ii) more equitable distribution of the financial advantage achieved in the target Value Chains; and (iii) reduction of existing poverty levels in rural areas.

The project aims to support a total of 35 joint initiatives (MKOM, startups, aggregators, business associations, agricultural production cooperatives, unions or other forms of formal and informal cooperatives) engaged in the MTDZ sector in LAIR, among other activities, services, goods and involves improving technology and marketing of products through procurement of materials.

As noted in the project document, many rural communities in LAIR suffer from a lack of modern agricultural machinery and services, sorting, storage and processing facilities, among other challenges. All this leads to partial cultivation of owned land, production of low-quality fruits and vegetables and processed products, environmental damage and other disadvantages.

The project seeks to increase the competence of MTDZ participants by providing them with modern tools (production/processing/logistics/marketing) and services within the Support Mechanism Framework (MSF) to support LAIR-based MT sector participants to address the aforementioned challenges.

The expected effects of this announcement are as follows:

• Increasing the quantity and quality of products,
• Improving processing,
• 10-15% increase in cultivated areas,
• Increasing the existing production capacity by at least 15-20%;
• Reduction of environmental damage.

Objectives

• General purpose: The general purpose of the grant application is to support collaborative initiatives in the production of safe, high quality and marketable fresh and processed food products.
• The special purpose of the call for project proposals is to increase the operational capabilities of the participants of the Fruit and Vegetable Value Chain located in LAIR cooperating within IT.
• Special attention will be given to proposals put forward by youth and women-led IT, as well as projects involving activities related to increasing the resilience of producers/farmers to climate change and improving environmental management.

Budget Allocation

• The total available grant amount under this announcement is €850,000.
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • minimum amount: 10,000 euros
  • maximum amount: 200,000 euros
• A minimum of 20% co-financing is required for financing requests above EUR 100,000.

Who can join the grant competition?

• Collaborative Undertakings applying for grants and funding under the support mechanism must meet the following conditions:
  • Informally associated Fruit & Vegetable value chain actors (minimum 10 members), including agricultural service providers;
  • Farmer unions, members of which own maximum 10 ha land plots
  • Cooperatives and associations;
  • Fruit & Vegetable aggregators associated with minimum 20 Fruit & Vegetable producers/growers;
  • Women groups (minimum 10 members);
  • Youth (18-29 years old) groups (minimum 10 members);
  • Micro (associated with a minimum 10 Fruit & Vegetable producers/growers), Small (minimum 20 Fruit & Vegetable producers/growers) and Medium (minimum 30 Fruit & Vegetable producers/growers) sized Entrepreneurs;
  • collaborative undertakings with business ideas in the field of agrotourism;
  • collaborative undertakings with business ideas related to organic agriculture.

For more information, visit UNDP.