VIRTUAL AGRICULTURAL WHOLESALE MARKET (Armenia,Turkey)

Virtual Agricultural Wholesale Market 2001-2003 

PROJECT SUMMARY

Today the tendency in World Economy is towards cooperation and integration. Any branch of economy can reach intensive development only in this context. On the other hand, the industry and agriculture are doomed to failure in local, closed regions, which is the case in our area today. The only conclusion we come to at a glance towards the separate market units of the region is that the models and behavioral patterns existing are inefficient from the point of view of further development and are continuously failing to lead our market into stability and prosperity. The groundless and uncoordinated production of rustic goods left to the limitations of rather small local market has led most of the farms in Caucasus to bankruptcy and dependence from banks, with no perspective of further development. Even at the first glance it can be seen that the provincial regions of Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan are located in a very convenient geographical area. These regions border with each other and have more then enough premise for development but due to their failure to cooperate have been left out of mutually profitable regional economic integration and global cooperation and integration.

For purpose to create a new approach in the region ICHD and TABC are proposing:

– Wholesale market: Turkish-Armenian Business Council (TABC) and International Center for Human Development (ICHD) to organize the Regional Agricultural Wholesale Market. The product will be a web based site promoting information exchange and commercial cooperation. Our preference is to start with Armenian and Turkish regions and then to broaden the project to include other countries in the region. Our target regions are; Shirak, Tavush and Lory from Armenia, Kars and Erzurum from Turkey. Collected information will include market surveys, harvest forecasts, cultivation methods, seed, chemical, fertilizer sources and farm equipments. Our goal in this project is to identify regional partners to gather, to identify their needs and update information.

– Trade Fairs can also be organized regionally based on the information collected above and the necessary steps are taken as below work plan.

– Regional Chamber of Commerce (to be determined)

CONTEXT

TABC AND ICHD believe the peaceful resolution of regional conflicts can only be achieved through regional economic developments under free democracy rules. TABC and ICHD also believe in developing regional collaboration and economic development strategies for Armenia, Turkey and the region. Politically, sovereignty and independence of the states in the region should be preserved and enhanced. Democratic institutions and processes and regional economic development should be supported, and durable regional stability should be achieved. Such a political context can only be achieved through the economic development of the region with practical methods of cooperation.

STRUCTURAL SCHEME OF RELATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL WHOLESALE MARKET

The Regional Agricultural Wholesale Market is a virtual center created through a computer network, which is formed by joining the separate markets included in the center through a central server-computer. The network will provide the wholesale buyers and sellers with complete information about market supply and demand and will set a common price policy, which will include the bordering regions of Armenia and Turkey.

All the information of the Regional Agricultural Wholesale Market will come through the local information centers. The Regional Agricultural Wholesale Market will provide the connection, information exchange, planning of Agricultural production, coordination of movement of goods in the region as well as the link to the government bodies of the interested countries and the identical centers all over the world.

Joint programs of regional importance will be carried out according to following Structural Scheme of Relations