BELARUS COMPANIES DOMINATE TURKMENISTAN

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001532 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB; ANKARA FOR AGRICULTURE COUNSELOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR EINV ETRD BO TX SUBJECT: BELARUS COMPANIES DOMINATE TURKMENISTAN AGRICULTURE TRADE SHOW REF: Ashgabat 1153 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution. ¶2. (U) On November 25-27, Ashgabat hosted an agriculture trade show, during which producers of agriculture equipment from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) exhibited their equipment and demonstrated new technologies. Along with local agricultural companies, which included some state enterprises and several private food producers, there were representatives from sixteen Belarusian companies. The Belarusian companies were promoting a wide range of products, including wheat harvesters, tractors, pumps, fertilizers, food processing equipment, and textiles. A Georgian aviation factory was offering water pumps. Russian companies Agromashholding and Agroleasing displayed harvesters, tractors, fertilizers, and farm management technologies. ¶3. (U) Along with CIS companies, some Western companies also participated in the trade show. The German company KSA-AWN-Agralis was offering water pumps. EuroTech, a branch of Austria-based IPC Group, showed equipment from several Western companies for which it is the official distributor, including German Liebner, American Terex, British JCB, as well as John Deere and Case New Holland (reftel). According to the representative of EuroTech, the company has signed a contract with a local private sector company to supply 50 units of road construction equipment. The Japanese companies Itochu and Komatsu displayed earth moving and road construction equipment. ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: The fact that Belarusian companies were heavily represented at the trade show can be explained by the relatively low prices for their products. The Belarusian tractors have gained a good reputation among local farmers for their cheap prices and easy handling. While the Turkmen Government will still prefer to deal with internationally known producers like John Deere, Case New Holland, Itochu, and Komatsu, it is likely that Belarusian equipment will remain more popular among private sector equipment buyers. END COMMENT. CURRAN