Local entrepreneur invests in energy and water-efficient cold storage with Climadapt

Mr. Makhsatullo is a grapes cultivator who has been working on his craft for over 16 years. He owns 4 hectares of land with more than 6,400 grape plants in the district of Hisor located in west Tajikistan.

Mr. Makhsatullo decided to invest in modern energy and water-efficient cold storage system in order to boost the production of his grapes. The old chillers used were inefficient, used to break down and used a substantial amount of water.

Climadapt team performed the project analysis, assessed the potential of energy savings, financial-technical parameters and risks.

After securing a loan of approximately USD 31,800 from one of the Climadapt’s partner banks, Mr Makhsatullo invested this money in a larger capacity cooling chamber. The new equipment allows to store grapes for up to 4 months, with up to 75 tons worth of quality grapes. This means that Mr Makhsatullo can sell grapes through winter and therefore benefits from a larger and a more reliable income. The overall annual saving delivered by the new equipment is estimated to be around USD 27,800.

The new equipment provides substantial electricity and water savings, 53,000 kWh and 60,000 m3 saved annually. The world benefits from a reduction of 79 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Mr Makhsatullo’s investment also benefits the local community. Mr Makhsatullo provides storage services to neighboring farmers who may not be able to afford such services on their own.

The Tajikistan Climate Resilience Financing Facility, CLIMADAPT is developed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and supported by the Climate Investment Funds’ Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (CIF PPCR), the United Kingdom and the EBRD Early Transition Countries (ETC) Fund.