Following on from the success we featured last quarter for Sadda, a Ferghana based silk products manufacturer. We are pleased to report a further success for the company, with Enterprise Development Project personnel across two Enterprise Development Centers helping the company make its first export.

Sadda is involved in the production of silk fabrics and sutures. It has only recently begun producing sutures and product development has been hampered by lack of market knowledge. Sadda has been selling its sutures through intermediaries, mainly state owned organizations, and such organizations act as a barrier between the producer and the end-user and provide no feedback on the product. As a result, product development to date has proceeded without taking into account customers needs, and therefore sales figures have been below their potential.

Muminjon Isamiddinov, Relationship Manager from Ferghana, analyzed sales development and distribution channels for the company and formulated a strategy for reaching end-users directly. With the help the EDC Trade Advisor Edilbek Kunurbaev (based in Osh, Kyrgyzstan), Ferghana Trade Advisor Sukhrob Kakharov located a customer in Osh. The first shipment of sutures is for only US $215, but it represents the first direct export sale Sadda has ever made, with the promise of further export deals. Sadda has already benefited from this deal in another way; they have received comments from the customer on how to improve their packaging. Due to the intermediary agreement, this represents the first time Sadda have received such feedback.

Through EDC cooperation, EDP has helped Sadda further adopt market oriented business practices and demonstrate the potential and ease of opening up export markets.