Honey production is a significant industry in the Ferghana Valley. Unfortunately, most production is small-scale, conducted by individual beekeepers with a few hives. Therefore, when Lancaster International Trading Company from Denver USA wanted to purchase 20,000 lbs of honey, USAID Trade Facilitation and Investment Project (TFI) and Enterprise Development Project (EDP) were needed to help producers meet the international requirements. This huge export opportunity represented a great opportunity for an industry that has already benefited greatly from TFI's regulatory reform and EDP's consulting services.

In March 2004, USAID TFI and EDP arranged meetings with a representative from Lancaster and local beekeepers and agreed to act as a coordinator between the buyer and sellers to help solve problems and consolidate honey from a number of producers. The projects met with local processors, assisted with package selection, contract terms and customs clearances.

In July a sample shipment sent to the United States was detained as a result of paperwork issues with prior notice requirements for the USFDA Bio-Terrorism Act provisions. TFI interceded on behalf of the shippers to resolve the problem, the courier admitted their error in the paperwork and the test packages were soon on their way to Denver. Within a week, the buyer placed an order for 10,000 lbs of honey, and a week later, the buyer revised the order to 20,000 lbs (15,620 jars) of honey with a value of almost $22,000.

The buyer has committed to returning to the Kyrgyz Republic in the near future, and further trade deals look likely.