Few Tajik enterprises have a website, especially in the agro-processing sector: lack of resources is the most commonly named explanation, followed by low awareness of the benefits of a professional web presence. As ITC is promoting the development of e-business in the Tajik agro-business sector, it was decided to support the development of three websites for companies, to serve as role models and showcase best practice.
This activity was undertaken in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan (TPP). Three web-design agencies were contracted to implement this activity: ANKO Web Design, Caftar and Promotion. Tajikistan has a small base of companies in this area, but it has been growing in the last 12 months.
The three websites were developed at the beginning of 2009. The creative process required a close partnership between the beneficiary SMEs and the agencies, which needed feedback on design and architecture, as well as text and pictures on the content side. The sites were developed in Russian only, as the CIS is the main destination market for Tajik agro-processed goods. Search engine optimization was to be undertaken accordingly on rambler.ru, yandex.ru and google.ru, the leading engines in this region. To allow for easy updates, the sites were built on the basis of a CMS, a web content management system. As a result, updates do not require the involvement of IT experts.
Once finalized, the websites were submitted to ITC’s Online2Export group of international experts. They assessed the sites and voted for the best one through an online survey tool. Elita was designated as the best website, based on its usability, content and search engine optimization. Pulod Amirbekov, General Manager of Promotion, welcomed the designation and hoped that the competition result would get other Tajik companies to opt for a website – using local expertise.
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