Horticulture in Uzbekistan

Horticulture in Uzbekistan
The EastFruit team sums up the results of the 2020 fruit and vegetable year for Uzbekistan. This year turned out to be very difficult for the participants in the horticulture business due to late spring frosts during the flowering of orchards and vineyards, the collapse of the Sardobin dam, uncertainty and restrictions on the market, and logistics for fresh fruit and vegetable products as well as the drop in incomes of the population caused by the COVID-19 pandemic all of which was reflected in the fruit and vegetable market.
Given these difficulties, it is not surprising that the volume of exports of fruits and vegetables for 11 months of 2020 decreased by 17.8% in value terms.
To begin with, we will consider the dynamics of Uzbek fruit and vegetable exports in the main directions, after which we will analyze the main events of the horticulture market for the year in chronological order and give a list of the most popular and profound publications by EastFruit for 2020.
In terms of the positive developments, it is worth noting the increase in direct supplies of fruits and vegetables from Uzbekistan to Russia due to the reduction in the Russian Federation of the VAT rate for this category of products. Considering also the rise in prices, Uzbekistan’s revenue from direct exports to Russia in the first 11 months of 2020 increased by 64% and reached $274 million. The main export positions were fresh table grapes (increased 2.2 times to $63 million), peaches and nectarines (increased 3.4 times to $36 million), fresh apricots (increased 56% to $22 million), fresh greenhouse tomatoes (increased 27% to $22 million), persimmons (increased 2 times to $19 million) and fresh cherries (increased 3.3 times to $17 million). Also, many fresh herbs, onions, cabbage, plums, broccoli, cauliflower, melons, and watermelons were exported to Russia from Uzbekistan.
Considering the increase in the supply of Uzbek fruit and vegetable products directly to Russia, their supplies to Kazakhstan, formerly one of the main transit countries, decreased by 20% in the first 11 months of 2020 by 34% to $198 million. The main export positions were fresh table grapes (decreased by 34% to $45 million), fresh greenhouse tomatoes (increased 54% to $22 million), persimmons (increased 13% to $16 million), and peaches (34% drop to $15 million). A lot was also exported from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan such as onions, cherries, fresh apricots, cabbage, melons, watermelons, and fresh herbs.
Yet, exports of Uzbek fruits and vegetables to China in 2020 fell sharply more than twice in the first 11 months of the year and reached only $12 million. Supplies of Uzbek raisins (dried grapes) to China fell by 45% to $11 million and supplies of dried apricots and cherries were comparatively insignificant and decreased by 38% and 89% respectively.

Even Ukraine imported more fruits and vegetables from Uzbekistan in 2020 than China. There are data on Ukraine for only 10 months, but even so, the export of Uzbek products to Ukraine for this period already exceeds supplies to China totalling $14 million. However, there is also a decrease in exports of 24%. If the supply of melons, fresh apricots, and fresh herbs increased 2 times, 2.4 times, and 19%, respectively becoming the main export positions, then the exports of Uzbek raisins to Ukraine fell more than twice and onions more than six times.