Dora Otajonova – founder of company “Teodora Goods” and a co-founder of the agricultural platform “Dalatek”. To gain insights into the state of agriculture in Uzbekistan, we handed the analytical kalidoscope to Dora, one of the few leading female specialists in the field. Let’s see what images this kaleidoscope will reveal for us!
FROM MALAYSIA TO AN EXPORT COMPANY
At the age of 19, I left Uzbekistan where I was born and raised, and moved to Malaysia. During my fifth year in Malaysia, my friends and I decided to venture into business with the aim of improving the lives of “struggling students." We began importing nuts and dried fruits, with my responsibility being to sell batches of 200-300 kg to modest retail outlets. In 2017, I briefly returned to Uzbekistan to renew my visa and decided to temporarily join an export company. To my astonishment, I discovered approximately 200 unread emails containing requests for the export of agricultural products, often in entire truckloads. I realized this was my chance. While in Malaysia, I struggled to find buyers for 200-300 kg, in Uzbekistan there were queues of foreign companies eager to purchase the same products in volumes of no less than 20 tons. I ended up working at that company for nine months, during which I completely forgot about returning to Malaysia.
FOUR MONTHS? NO, TWO WEEKS!
Business often reaches a point where you outgrow your current position and seek new horizons. Eventually, my personal goals and objectives no longer aligned with the company’s philosophy where I was employed, so I resigned and established my own business. With no savings to invest in this endeavor, everything was built from scratch, with focus on minimizing costs. For instance, for six months, my office was simply a cafe on Shevchenko Street. While developing my business strategy, I set myself a four-month timeline to receive the first order. However, the reality proved to be much brighter–I received my initial order just two weeks later. “And then everything took off." Nuts and dried fruits in Uzbekistan significantly differ in flavor, and in a positive way. They are more robust in taste. However, the processes for harvesting dried fruits and nuts leave much to be desired. Unfortunately, we are far from fully utilizing our high potential in this promising sector. Our farmers and suppliers often lack the knowledge of correct technological processes for preparing and storing these goods, resulting in a haphazard approach. This significantly diminishes the product’s quality and their shelf life. A low level of knowledge and competence prevents us from effectively harnessing this high potential.
FREE PUBLICITY
Is it difficult to be a female entrepreneur? Certainly! It is equally challenging for both women and men. Speaking of my entrepreneurial journey, the minor difficulties often arise from people's perceptions. For instance, when a farmer on our first meeting starts discussing order details with the driver instead of me. Though these are hardly obstacles. On the other hand, the advantages are quite noticeable. I believe that because I am a woman, my achievements attract significantly more attention in the media space. I am confident that today, within close circles, many know of me as a specialist, thanks to interviews, articles, and public speaking engagements. We have been featured on BBC and CNN, and have become the subject of online publications across the CIS, as well as on dozens of news platforms in Uzbekistan. I have never paid for any of these features. Such an amazing effect of free publicity. And it is not certain that if it were a man, he would receive the same level of attention as I do.
PROPOSALS
The reforms I proposed are linked to a systematic education framework tailored for each type of farmer and household enterprise. It is essential to continuously enhance knowledge and skills. It is essential to enrich the media space by creating more informational and educational content. Investment in the development of educational programs and mobile applications is crucial, with integrated assistance available for every aspect of agricultural production and processing. As a second proposal, I would create roadmaps for each product. For example, figs are very delicate fruits with a very short shelf life. Consequently, fresh export is highly challenging and risky. The most viable approach is through agricultural processing. I believe that each product–whether it’s tomatoes, lemons, melons, or nuts–should have a roadmap outlining its production and sales strategy, along with accessible and clear processing technologies. This way, everyone would have access to essential information that they can practically apply.
Interview by Murad NASIROV.
