The Centre for International Agricultural Development Cooperation (CINADCO) of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture conducted 47 international courses in 1997 at three training centres in a variety of languages. On December 11, 1997, Haim Divon, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of MASHAV, paid a visit to the Training Centre at Kibbutz Shefayim. On that particular day five courses were in session:

• Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship and Management - in French

• Vegetable Production in Different Growing Conditions - in Spanish

• Intensive Dairy Cattle and Sheep Production - in English

• Farm Development and Agribusiness - in Russian

• Poland-Israel Conference on Water Requirements and Irrigation, Effects of Plants Cultivated in Arid and Semiarid Climates - in Polish These courses included 153 participants from 58 different nations.

Participants from Eritrea, Seycelles and Cote D'Ivoie at computer

MASHAV courses require a final project presentation by individuals or groups of participants. The course Farm Development and Agribusiness, given in Russian at Kibbutz Shefayim, November 18 - December 12, 1997, included the following project presentations:

1. Changes in the administrative system of the Experimental Farm in the Sinasli Region Agricultural College, Georgia.

2. Profit increase in dairy produce processing factories of the Kalinina Cooperative Farm, Belarus.

3. Economic feasibility of growing, processing and marketing tomatoes in the 50 Let Octybrya State Farm, Tadzhikistan.

4. Fruit tree nursery - profits increase by use of new technologies, Ukraine.

5. Growing potatoes in northwest Russia.

6. Economic feasibility of growing cotton under plastic cover.

7. Economic feasibility of dairy produce and marketing in private farms, Kyrgyzstan.

8. Establishment of a farmer's training centre in Kazakhstan, Bulgaria and Turkmenistan.

Indian and Mongolia participants examine irrigation system

Final Project, Summary: Economic feasibility of dairy produce - Kyrgyzstan Participants:

• Tatiana Musienko - private farmer

• Raisa Sidorenko - Director, private farms union

• Tatiana Bakieva - Consultant

• Almazbek Abekov - Director financial firm

• Aigul Djunusheva - Specialist, credit department, Kirgistroy Bank

This project is geared toward the preparation of a business plan for dairy processing. It includes a market survey and marketing and financial strategies to be implemented in a private agricultural farm, Bakit, located in the Chuy Valley, some 25 km from the capital city of Bishkek. The aim of the project is to establish a mini-dairy for the production of new high-quality dairy products to reduce the necessity of imports from other countries.

The population is comprised of six private agricultural farms with a total of 300 milk cows. In the vicinity are farms with 1,000 head of cattle and an experimental station with 400 cows. The dairy will be programmed to process 2,000 litres of milk per day, growing to 5,000 in five years.

The market survey and the marketing strategies are based on:

• The need to upgrade quality and diversity of milk products;

• Local produce cannot compete with the imported products;

• Existing economic benefits (tax reduction and VAT exemption) for local producers;

• Use of advanced technology and equipment;

• Training of experts abroad;

• Changes in produce according to market demand;

• Adequate packaging;

• The need for advertisement for new customers.