GRANT BENEFICIARIES

According to the Project design, the grants will be disbursed in the Khatlon and GBAO regions of the Republic of Tajikistan. The grant beneficiaries are the people who work or live in these regions’ cities, districts, villages, or djamoats and their work related to tourism or agribusiness.

 

GRANT BENEFICIARIES

According to the Project design, the grants will be disbursed in the Khatlon and GBAO regions of the Republic of Tajikistan. The grant beneficiaries are the people who work or live in Khatlon and GBAO regions cities, districts, villages, or jamoats and their scope of work related to tourism or agribusiness.

The Vulnerable groups (women, youth, female heads of household, returned migrants, remittance-dependent households) have an advantage for receiving the grant.

It is important to note that the government of the project's pilot cities, districts, villages, or jamoats can apply for the grants.

GRANTS

Eligible beneficiaries of the grants to improve tourism and agribusiness infrastructure and develop local tourism attractions include:

  • Municipalities - local government bodies including local representative bodies of state power and local executive bodies of state power;
  • Communities defined as Jamoat, a self-governing body of villages, which is elected by voters of villages and resolves issues of local importance within its competence;   
  • Not-for-profit organizations defined as voluntary, self-governing, non-profit association of citizens or legal entities, united based on common interests to achieve the goals specified in the charter.

Beneficiaries can present their application jointly, but one of the beneficiaries must be the lead and a grant agreement may be signed between the PIU and the lead organization.

MATCHING GRANTS

Eligible beneficiaries of the matching grants are the following MSMEs and entrepreneurs that operate in the tourism, agribusiness, and related hospitality sectors:

  • Formally registered individual farmers who are defined by the Law on Dekhkan (Farm) (#1289 from 15.03.2019), article 3. According to the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan a Dekhkan farm (individual farm) can be created in the following forms -

- without forming a legal entity.

- with the formation of a legal entity.

A Dekhkan farm created without the formation of a legal entity has been operating since the moment of state registration as an individual entrepreneur, indicating in its name the words "Dekhkan farm.

A Dekhkan farm with the formation of a legal entity may carry out its activities from the moment of its state registration as a business partnership or company, indicating in its name words "Dekhkan (Farm)".

  • Formally registered farmers’ groups, or associations-

- Simple partnership: Under an agreement on joint activities, farmers undertake to combine their contributions and act together without forming a legal entity to profit or achieve another goal that does not contradict the law. The agreement on joint activities must be concluded in writing.

- Cooperative - Association registered in accordance with the established procedure and organized based on the membership of individuals to satisfy joint economic, social, cultural, and other needs, as well as their aspirations, by combining property (share contributions) and creating a democratically managed joint ownership organization.

  • Formally registered Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that work in the tourism, agribusiness, or other related sectors, MSMEs are defined as follows – up to 200 employees and with a turnover up to 15,000,000 TJS (1,500,000 USD) (Law on state support to entrepreneurs, Law # 1107, 26.07.2014).
  • Formally registered individual entrepreneurs that work in the tourism, agribusiness, or other related sectors. Individual entrepreneurs are defined by the Civil Code, some Government Resolutions on Patent and Certificate Holders, and the Law on State Protection and Entrepreneurship Support, the following way - 

According to the Law on State Protection and Entrepreneurship Support, article 3, forms of entrepreneurship are:

1. The state recognizes and permits to carry out any type of business provided for by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.

2. Entrepreneurship, in accordance with the provisions of the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan, is carried out in the following forms:

- with the formation of a legal entity.

- without forming a legal entity.

- using wage labor; and

- without the use of wage labor.

According to the Civil Code (Article 24. “Entrepreneurship of citizens”)

Citizens may engage in entrepreneurial activity without forming a legal entity, from the moment of state registration as individual entrepreneurs (as amended by the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan dated 12.05.2007 No. 247, dated 29.12.2010 No. 640).

Based on the second article of the Law of State Registration of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs (#508 from 19.05.2009) -  a document issued by the authority, performing State registration (Certificate of state registration legal entity or Certificate of state registration of an individual as individual entrepreneur or Patent for the right to exercise individual business activity…) confirm the creation, reorganization or liquidation of a legal entity, the beginning or termination of the activities of an individual as individual entrepreneur.

  • Artists defined as an individual operating on the basis of a patent, Government Resolution #451from 31.08.2012.
  • Crafters defined by the Law on Craft #1619 from 20.06.2019, Article 1, as an individual possessing skill, craftsmanship, knowledge and (or) professional specialization, engaged in craftsmanship.
  • Associations and formally registered groups of these registered entrepreneurs and MSMEs. 
  • Tour Operators -. All tour operators that can be identified since they obtain their license from CTD under the Government of Tajikistan; and
  • Registered start-ups are eligible for matching grants financing.
  • The informal sector will not be supported by the matching grants. Potential informal beneficiaries can apply to the matching grants and be supported by the matching grant program if they become formal. The grant enablers could support their formalization process.

 

Ownership requirement: The MSMEs supported under the Grant Program will have to have domestic majority ownership (50.1% or more) and should not have received funding for goods, works and services to be financed by the matching grants from other sources. The ownership of the groups or associations must be also majority (50.1% or more) domestic. 

 

OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Geographic Location: The projects financed by the grants and by the matching grants will have to be in Khatlon or in GBAO. Some grants beneficiaries as for example tour operators, can register and have their main office in other areas in Tajikistan but they must operate in Khatlon or GBAO. Grants and matching grant funds will be used only for projects and investment in Khatlon and GBAO.