A seminar for Turkmen entrepreneurs on “Exporting home decor and home textile products to Europe” was held at the Olympia hotel in Ashgabat on Thursday. Mr. Cornelis Bronk (Holland), an expert in marketing home category products in the European market, was invited to conduct the seminar organized by the European Union Project titled “Support to Further Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, Turkmenistan - SARD III”.
The seminar was attended by local manufacturers of handicrafts, textile products and other household goods.
During the workshop, the expert talked about the European classification of household goods, current trends in the markets, consumer preferences in Europe, the potential benefits of Turkmen goods, as well as about the logistics and price issues of exporting home decor and textile products to the EU markets.
Throughout the week, Mr. Bronk familiarized himself with Turkmen traditional and modern products made from wool, silk, cotton, wood, clay and other materials in the Ahal and Mary provinces in order to assess the prospects for their exports to the European market. During his meetings with manufacturers and potential exporters, the expert made recommendations on the further development of design, color design, branding, marketing and pricing of products. According to the expert, there are good opportunities for Turkmen products for export to Europe.
The expert noted that great prospects will open up when producers combine their efforts to create a single collection of Turkmen products to promote them through specialized trade shows, such as annual exhibitions that are held in Frankfurt and Paris.
On Friday, the Dutch specialist will hold a master class for Turkmen consultants who specialize in promoting Turkmen products abroad.
