Good practice:

Trading platform for the promotion of agricultural products from CEE countries to China market

The official website of the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the CEE countries (APAC) provides a single database and is an efficient tool for searching and finding up-to-date investment projects, appropriate business partners, producers and traders from all the fields of the agricultural sector. It is developed as a part of the activities of APAC for deepen and strengthen the cooperation in agriculture between China and the CEE countries on a mutually beneficial basis through sharing ideas, exchange of good practices and research for innovative solutions. Through the single database, the contact points of the network of all 17 countries exchange information and disseminate offers for business cooperation. It is possible to find manufacturing, trade or financial partners in the offer bulletin.
Until now it has more than 150 registered companies from China and the CEE countries. The products are from the agricultural and the service sector.
The single database helps encouraging trade in agricultural and food products by providing timely information about the trade fairs and agricultural exhibitions traditionally carried out in China and CEE countries.

The information in the platform is regularly updated by 2 members of the staff of APAC.
Budgeted resources for setting up and launching the platform include development and equipment costs. The amount is 121 780 euro.

The quantative indicators which mesure the success of the good practice are:
- number of register users is 175 companies, investors, organizations dealing in agricultural sector;
- number of SMEs to which is provided access to international markets - 128.

The portal supports and helps the enhance of agricultural SMEs internationalisation by providing current and useful information for encouraging the export activities.
The practice helps by playing an intermediary function in finding partners and in offering products and services.
The practice supports the SMEs by maintaining data base with information about export-oriented Bulgarian companies in specific sector.
One or several of the services, proposed by the Portal can be transferred, by alternative instruments developed and proposed by public or private providers of SMEs support services. The activity of the Portal (or just a part of its activity) could be easily transferred in other countries or regions in the EU.