Wholesale prices for strawberries in Uzbekistan have fallen 4.5 times over the past week, which was an unprecedented drop in prices in one week. According to EastFruit analysts, such a sharp drop in prices is due to the influence of the weather conditions that led to a collapse in strawberry prices in neighboring Tajikistan in the second decade of April 2022.

According to EastFruit price monitoring, from April 15 to April 22, 2022, the average wholesale prices for strawberries decreased from 90 000 to 20 000 UZS/kg ($7.94 to $1.77), i.e. by 4.5 times in just one week. If we consider the dynamics of wholesale prices in April, then the average wholesale prices have fallen by 5.5 times from the maximum value recorded on April 8, 2022 at the level of 110 000 UZS/kg ($9.68) over the past two weeks.

As of April 22, 2022, the average wholesale prices for strawberries are 3 times lower than on the same date in 2021 and correspond to the prices on the same date in 2020.

As of April 22, 2022, in retail sales – for example, in Korzinka.uz supermarkets in the capital of Uzbekistan, strawberries are offered at 27 990 UZS/kg ($2.48).

Literally ten days ago, wholesale prices for strawberries in neighboring Tajikistan collapsed in one day by 2 times (from $4 to $2), and a further rapid price decline was beyond doubt. As of April 22, the average wholesale price for strawberries fell to $0.88/kg.

“After an abnormally cold spring, a hot summer immediately set in. Accordingly, berries began to ripen very fast. In addition, strawberries need to be sold quickly so that they do not spoil at high temperatures, so farmers are forced to reduce prices,” Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, a consultant at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), commented at the time.

Since Uzbekistan experienced weather changes and air temperature dynamics similar to Tajikistan in April, after an abnormally rainy and cold March 2022, the collapse in strawberry prices in Uzbekistan is explained by the same factors, EastFruit analysts say.

Сообщение Strawberry prices have collapsed in Uzbekistan появились сначала на EastFruit.

EastFruit experts consider deep freezing of berries, fruits and vegetables to be one of the most attractive investment niches for Central Asia and actively inform local investors about it. And this information is bearing fruit. Uzbekistan began to significantly increase the exports of frozen vegetables and fruits in 2021. Finally, the first enterprise for deep freezing of fruits and berries has opened in Tajikistan, with the consulting support of the FAO and EBRD project, within which the EastFruit platform also operates.

At the end of 2021, Harif LLC completed the construction and setting up of the first deep freezing plant, which is capable of processing up to 15 tonnes of berries, fruits or vegetables per day by static freezing. The enterprise was established in the north of Tajikistan, near the city of Khujand. The first freezing plant in the country will start freezing strawberries, raspberries, cherries and apricots in spring 2022. Since everything can be frozen, freezing other fruit and vegetable raw materials will also be considered – it can be plums, peaches, melons, rose hips, vegetables, and even wild plants. In the future, the enterprise may give an impetus to the cultivation of other fruit and vegetables valuable for the global market, that were not previously grown in the country.

Freezing plant “Harif” is the first enterprise of its kind in Tajikistan. Until now, there were plants for drying vegetables, canning fruits and vegetables, processing dried fruits, and producing juices in the country, but until recently there were no deep freezing factories. Thus, this is an innovative enterprise for Tajikistan. Tajikistan is famous for the high quality of fruits with a high BRIX content, and relatively low prices for the raw material. However, some of the grown products are simply lost because the possibilities of selling them for fresh export are very limited.

Local farmers, realizing that all products cannot be sold fresh, sell the remaining ones for drying under the sun or dry them themselves, but the revenue per kilogram of fresh produce is quite low. Tajikistan is famous for its dried apricots, apples, plums and dried fruit mixes. There are also several vegetable drying enterprises operating in the country. However, the sale of fresh or frozen products is much more profitable, since the revenue per hectare from their sale is several times higher than from the sale of dried ones.

By the way, dried fruits have already begun to yield market share to fresh fruits even on the market of Central Asian countries, where they are a traditional product for the local population. Supermarket chains in the region, note that fruit and vegetable freezing is also one of the fastest growing sales segments even in Uzbekistan! In particular, this was said by the manager of the Makro supermarket chain Roman Saifulin from Uzbekistan in his interview with EastFruit. Therefore, frozen fruits and berries of local production may appear in supermarkets in Tajikistan thanks to the new project.

“For me personally, the creation of the first plant for freezing fruits and berries in Tajikistan is a great victory, because it allows to demonstrate the potential of this business to other investors in the region. After all, it is much easier to export frozen fruits, vegetables, berries and wild plants than fresh ones. Deep freezing is one of the fastest growing segments of the global fruit and vegetable market. This means that the freeze will allow Tajikistan to boost exports, increase the incomes of farmers and vegetable growers, and create new jobs along the entire value chain. Fruits for freezing can be harvested in the phase of full ripeness, when their taste reaches a peak, unlike those for fresh market. Thus, I hope that, thanks to this enterprise, many countries of the world will appreciate the unique taste of Tajik fruits”, Andriy Yarmak, Economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Harif’s fruit and berry freezing facility consists of an acceptance and inspection department, blast chilling, blast freezing, storage and a cold processing and packaging department. It even has its own laboratory. The enterprise will be able to store more than 300 tonnes of frozen fruits and berries, for which a modern storage facility has been built. There is also an area for simultaneous cooling of 500 tonnes of fruit, which will allow to launch a project for the exports of fresh, chilled premium-quality products. More than 30 people will work at this innovative enterprise during the freezing season.

“We are already planning to purchase raw materials from households and farms of both the Sughd and Khatlon regions of Tajikistan. In the future, we plan to create a cooperative for growing traditional and niche berries for Tajikistan on an area of ​​about 50 hectares,” says the director of Harif LLC, Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, who has also long been a consultant to the EastFruit project, FAO and EBRD.

Convinced of the prospects of freezing fruits and vegetables, and trying for several years in a row to convince local investors of this, Mr. Abduvohidov decided to set a personal example and create the first plant on his own, using the most modern technologies. “Ukraine earns $200 million from the exports of frozen berries alone, and Poland and Serbia – half a billion dollars each. But the climate in Tajikistan is better, labor and electricity are cheaper, the growing season for berries is longer, so there is no reason for Tajikistan not to earn money in this growing and promising market. Moreover, we will be able to make high and even premium-quality products and get a higher price for them,” says Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov.

He also notes that small farmers in the region have recently begun to engage in the cultivation of strawberries. This gives hope for a sustainable expansion of the raw material areas and the creation of an alternative to the fresh market by buying part of their products for freezing. The Harif company plans to help colleagues with information and advice on growing technologies, as well as provide with professional support of production projects.

In addition, the company built ultra-modern multi-level greenhouses for the propagation of seedlings for strawberries and brought planting material of the most popular berry varieties from Italy. Hydroponic low-volume technology is used in the cultivation, which is also an innovation for the strawberry business in Tajikistan. The company plans to create its own nursery and plantation for the industrial cultivation of strawberries of the best world varieties.

The project for the creation of a fruit and berry freezing enterprise was financed by Harif’s own funds, and freezing equipment was purchased with the support of the USAID CTJ project. Harif will produce with an export orientation. For this, it is planned to obtain HACCP, ISO 22000 and GLOBALG.A.P. certificates for the berry growers who will supply raw materials for freezing.

Сообщение The first plant for fruits and berries deep freezing opened in Tajikistan появились сначала на EastFruit.

The “Taifi” grape variety is being harvested on rainfed lands in the Tursunzade region (Tajikistan). According to Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), such rainfed vineyards are planted in hilly and mountainous areas. Plantings of this type are common in such regions as Tursunzade, Gissar, Istaravshan, Penjikent. Grape yields vary depending on growing conditions, but in general households receive a good income.

The expert notes that table grapes are planted for sale on the domestic market. Grape growers store the “Taifi” variety until the New Year holidays in separate rooms with no.

Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov clarifies that a kilogram of grapes can now be bought at 3 TJS ($0.27) from farmers, and the price will rise to 12 TJS ($1.07) in winter.

You can see how grapes are grown and harvested in the photos Sobirchon Saidov shared on his Facebook page.

Сообщение Harvesting Taifi grapes in Tajikistan – photo report появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit analysts, prices for bell peppers in Tajikistan have fallen to 1 TJS per kg (about $0.08 per kg). In other words, 11.5 kg of bell peppers can be bought at $1! Naturally, these low prices do not cover the production costs of Tajik growers.

There have never been such low prices for peppers in Tajikistan. Usually at this time, bell peppers in the country are sold in bulk at $0.30-0.40 per kg.

Among the reasons for such a dramatic drop in pepper prices, market participants cite the overproduction of pepper in 2021. However, a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, notes another factor – the absence of a cold chain.

“If farmers were to harvest peppers during a period of low prices at the right stage of maturity, cool and store them, as it is done in other countries, they could make good money. Indeed, by mid-November, prices for bell peppers in Tajikistan often exceed $1.5 per kg. This is also a good idea for resellers, since business that allows to get 1500% of profitability in just one month is rare! However, for peppers to survive for more than two weeks, they should initially be grown in such a way to be suitable for storage. They should have the necessary packaging – it is preferable to store them in bags with a modified atmosphere of the MAP type. In addition, the necessary set of knowledge and skills that are currently lacking in Tajikistan is required. A couple of years ago, Tajik vegetable growers tried to lay peppers for storage, but, unfortunately, they rotted quickly. However, if everything is done correctly from the start, the return on the invested will be good” notes Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov.

Experts name several more opportunities that could be used by bell pepper producers in Tajikistan. “Wholesale prices for peppers in Russia now reach $1.8-2.0 per kg. Therefore, if products are cooled and have modern packaging, exporting peppers from Tajikistan to Russia could be a very profitable business now. Moreover, the country has the opportunity to sort and collect batches of high-quality peppers even manually,” says Andriy Yarmak, economist at the FAO Investment Centre.

He also notes that pepper could be used as a raw material for processing. “Frozen bell peppers are one of the most popular products in the frozen vegetables segment. Given the good taste of peppers grown in Tajikistan, they could be successfully exported to many countries around the world. Unfortunately, there is almost no freezing of vegetables, fruits and berries in Tajikistan, despite the excellent opportunities for the development of this business,” adds Andriy Yarmak.

According to official trade statistics, Tajikistan does not export peppers at all. At the same time, the import of peppers into the country has been steadily growing in recent years. In 2020, more than 300 tons of pepper were imported to Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan became the main supplier. Bell peppers were also imported to Tajikistan in 2020 from Pakistan and Turkey.

Сообщение The collapse of prices for bell peppers in Tajikistan – opportunity for a huge profit in just one month! появились сначала на EastFruit.

Central Asian countries start harvesting and selling apples earlier than other countries in the region. In the southern regions of Tajikistan, even such autumn varieties as “Golden Delicious” ripen in late July and early August. However, the bulk of apples of autumn varieties is grown in regions with a milder climate, and now is the peak of storing apples, and therefore the best time to make preliminary conclusions about the harvest and its quality.

According to EastFruit analysts, the markets are currently oversaturated with apples of different varieties. There are a lot of them, but mainly low-quality apples are offered for sale that cannot be stored long. “Even in retail, the price is now below $0.40 per kg (about 4 TJS) – we have not seen such low apple prices in Tajikistan for a long time. Usually, the minimum prices for apples in the country are reached only in mid-October, when everything that can be stored has already been put in storage, and non-storable apples are sold at a bargain price. Therefore, we can only guess what the price of apples will be in a month,” says Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov, consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

He also notes that all quality apples are stored at considerably higher prices. Moreover, the price for quality apples has not changed over the year – it remains standard from year to year and is about 5 TJS per kg ($0.44). However, a negative price trend is noted here, as well, since recently the price was 6 TJS ($0.53).

By the way, Tajik entrepreneurs that stored apples in the fall of 2020 and managed to keep them in storage until spring made a good profit. It is obvious – apples were purchased at 5-6 TJS, and sold in March at 13-14 TJS per kg. Those who saved apples until April earned even more by selling apples at 15-17 TJS per kg, depending on the quality.

However, this is not always the case. For instance, in 2019, prices for apples did not increase during storage at all – from January 1 to the end of April, the price remained at 5 TJS per kg and even dropped to 4 TJS at the end of the storage season. And since it is not growers themselves who store apples in the country, but mainly intermediaries, this business was unprofitable then. Last season the profitability of storage increased interest in building fruit storage facilities. Quite a lot of them were built for the new harvest, and of various sizes, which so far allows to keep the prices for high-quality apples from collapsing as the prices for non-storable apples did.

Our monitoring of wholesale prices confirms that prices for most apple varieties in Tajikistan are currently significantly lower than in previous years. At the same time, local market experts confirm the fact of a constant increase in the area of ​​modern apple orchards. Despite the frustration with intensive farming experienced by many investors in the country, a number of farmers have already learned how to produce high yields of good-quality apples. According to Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, even in the early apple segment in 2021, there was a noticeable increase in the quality of Tajik apples. By the way, we talked in detail about the top 10 problems of intensive apple orchards in Central Asia a year ago. It seems that many have drawn conclusions from this.

Tajikistan, unlike neighboring Uzbekistan, has not suffered so much from the spring frost this year. Besides, there were no significant losses in the apple segment. At the same time, Tajikistan does not focus on the export of apples, while Uzbekistan exports quite a lot of early apple varieties.

The lack of apple exports can play a cruel trick on Tajik farmers, especially on those involved in apple storage. At the moment when the domestic apple market turns out to be saturated, as it happened in the 2018/19 season, apple prices will stabilize and there will be no earnings on storage, but only losses. That is why in most countries in the world, either the growers themselves or their cooperatives are engaged in apple storage. For example, in the US, wholesale prices for apples in April are usually 10-15% lower than when they were put in storage. Tajikistan may have the same situation quite soon.

In addition, it should noted that the supply of apples is growing in the world, and their trade is decreasing. Therefore, EastFruit analysts are drawing the world’s attention to the threat of apple overproduction in 2021 and record low prices by launching the hashtag #freshapplecrisis. This means that the prospects for earning money from storing apples in Tajikistan this season are not entirely clear.

Сообщение Tajikistan is flooded with apples – even the retail prices are record low появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit analysts, traders from Afghanistan returned to import fruits this week, which was a big relief for Tajik winegrowers. A week earlier, the market sentiment was weak, as exporters of Tajikistan were cut off from the two of their largest markets for table grapes, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.

However, Afghan grape importers are purchasing only one variety so far – Taifi. The reason is that it has a thick skin and tolerates long-term transportation well and has a longer shelf life. This is extremely important when the domestic fruit market in Afghanistan has not yet fully stabilized and logistics is unpredictable.

“Several groups of Afghan fruit importers have started purchasing Tajik table grapes. One of them has already purchased more than 200 tons, which means that the total volume of imports may turn out to be large, which has already helped stabilize domestic prices for Taifi grape variety. The first Afghan trucks loaded with Tajik grapes are already crossing the border,” says Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, a consultant to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

“The purchase price for Taifi grapes from a farmer is 2.6 somoni (about $ 0.23), excluding the cost of packaging materials. Although the price is relatively low, it is at least not lower than last year, while other grape varieties are sold cheaper than in 2020. It is notable that Afghan importers transport Taifi grapes in trucks without refrigeration in order to save on shipping costs. Of all the grape varieties, only Taifi can be normally transported at a daytime temperature of +35 degrees Celsius,” the FAO expert explains.

At the same time, all other table grape varieties continue to fall in price, because Tajikistan is still experiencing a serious shortage of modern fruit storage and pre-cooling facilities for table grapes. Also, other varieties are less transportable than Taifi, and Afghan importers are not interested in them.

Nevertheless, market participants expect that from September 10, grape prices will stabilize and might even grow, as storing of grapes into the storage facilities in significant quantities will begin. In addition, prices are so low this year that many still take the risk and store grapes, despite the difficulties in exporting table grapes to Russia due to the closed border with Kyrgyzstan.

Сообщение Afghanistan resumes imports of table grapes from Tajikistan появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to the EastFruit Central Asian team, quite unexpected and dramatic changes in the fruit market have begun to take place in the region. The thousand-year-old traditions of high consumption of dried fruits in the region began to give way to new trends. The younger generation prefers fresh fruit even in the off-season, which leads to price anomalies. Primarily, it is noticeable in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

For example, spring frosts this year led to the loss of a significant part of apricots for drying, but this had little effect on their prices. Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, international consultant at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), believes that the reason is a decrease in demand for dried fruits, primarily in the domestic market.

There are several reasons for it. First of all, new varieties and technologies for growing fruits emerge that can significantly extend the season of their fresh sale. This means that fresh fruits are available.

The second important factor is an increase in the level of income of the population, which allows them to pay more for fruit. This, in turn, justifies investments in new technologies for their cultivation and the introduction of new varieties.

The third factor is the dynamic development of modern technologies for storing fresh fruit. Fruit storage facilities with controlled atmosphere (RGS) and their variations, such as ULO, CA, DCA, etc., are not new to Central Asia. These technologies, in turn, allow preserving quality of table grapes, apples and other fruits almost throughout the year. The same fruits that are not subject to long-term storage can be stored for several weeks. A good example is cherries, which, in the case of hydrocooling and modified atmosphere bags (MAP) bags, can be stored in the fruit storage for up to two months without losing quality!

Another important point is the health benefits of consuming fresh fruit. This became especially noticeable with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when sales of some fruits, especially those high in vitamin C, skyrocketed. It has calmed down since then, but health-conscious consumers still prefer fresh fruit.

The fifth factor is the liberalization of international trade, which allows to reduce price fluctuations and increase the supply of fresh fruits in the markets of all countries of the region. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are good examples. There has been almost no trade between these countries for many years. However, it has been actively developing in recent years. This year, for example, Tajikistan, which suffered much less frost damage than Uzbekistan, is actively supplying fresh stone fruits and berries to the neighboring country.

Does this mean that the traditional drying of apricot, which we showed in the video “Dried apricots – how are they grown, harvested, dried and sold in Tajikistan ” is becoming a thing of the past? This is most likely the case. However, this does not mean that dried fruit is unnecessary. The global trade in dried fruits tends to decline, but high-quality products will always be in great demand.

Сообщение Dried fruits lose their leading position to fresh fruit market in Central Asia появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit analysts, the Tajik wholesale market is overwhelmed with new harvest onions, which are still poorly traded. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the 2020 harvest onions are still on the market in very large quantities. Vegetable growers are actively searching for buyers, but there are practically none.

Therefore, farmers in the southern regions of Tajikistan already offer new harvest onions at 7 US cents per kg, while prices for last year’s onions have dropped to 5 US cents per kg.

According to Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, international consultant at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), several reasons led to such a low price level for onions in Tajikistan.

“The exports of Tajik onions usually start a little later – in May. Therefore, traders did not expect an increase in the supply of onions from Tajikistan so early. The second problem is that many farmers do not have enough big enough batches of onions yet, and buyers fear that there will be problems with their transportation. Therefore, they prefer to wait until the onion matures a bit longer and dries up. Also, Muslims now have the holy month of Ramadan, so trading activity has decreased. The fourth problem is that the onion area in Tajikistan has expanded greatly, so the supply is higher than usual. Finally, there are now a lot of cheap onions in Russia, where almost all Tajik onions are normally exported. There are a lot of cheap onions now in Kazakhstan, which is also a major onion exporter to the Russian Federation and an important transit hub for onions from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan,” the FAO expert says.

Thus, we encourage onion importers and exporters to use our EF Trade Platform and indicate prices for onions in their offers to boost trade and reduce losses.

A detailed analysis of the situation on the onion market and the prospects for onion pricing in the new season in Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Tajikistan, Belarus and the EU countries are described in the market analysis of EastFruit – it will help to build a strategy for the new season.

As for the prospects for onion pricing in the coming weeks, market participants consider possible a growth in trade and exports of onions, given the cold spring in Ukraine and Russia and serious delays in the new harvest for onions there. However, a sharp rise in the price of onion in Tajikistan is not yet expected.

Сообщение Price collapsed for new and old onions in Tajikistan down to 7 and 5 US cents per kg correspondingly появились сначала на EastFruit.

Warm weather and massive early apricot flowering occurred in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in February. However, the frosts that came on February 25-27 caused significant damage to orchards in the Central and Northern parts of Tajikistan there are above average losses in the orchards that had begun to bloom.

Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, an international consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Tajikistan, said that wholesale prices from farmers for dried fruits such as the apricot varieties affected from the frosts have already risen by more than 50%. His announcement was during the national online conference “Apricot business in Tajikistan: efficiency of production, processing and marketing” held this past week.

The event was organized by the EastFruit project with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The partner of the event was the agro-media agency Sapienza.

“During February 25-27, temperatures in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan dropped to -10 degrees. In the southern regions of Tajikistan, apricots had already withered at the onset of cold weather. In this part of the country, this is normal because we have early apricots from South Khatlon already at the end of April. In central Tajikistan, massive flowering had noted during the frost period. In the north of the country, where 80% of the plantations are located, apricots bloomed in places but it was mostly swelling of the buds, the flowers had not bloomed.

The damage was suffered by orchards in the middle and northern parts of Tajikistan in particular the Bobodzhon-Gafurov and Asht districts where up to 40% of the orchards had already begun to bloom so the losses are above the national average,” Mr Abduvohidov said.

He went on to say that on average in Tajikistan, up to 30% of apricot orchards were affected. The remaining 70% are still in question because the flowering and pollination process is still ongoing. Also, mainly yellow apricot varieties were affected including mid-season varieties that are sold in the high price segment like dried fruits. Losses are noted for the Boboi and Mirsanchali varieties. According to the expert, the orange varieties are better preserved.

Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov also pointed out that losses in regions across Uzbekistan are also quite significant: “Great damage is noted in the Bukhara region. Approximately 25-30% of early apricot varieties had blossomed at the time of the frost and of them, approximately, more than 80% will no longer be tied further.”

The apricot plantations in the Samarkand region also suffered great damage. “In this area, according to our estimates, about 50% of the future harvest of early varieties of fresh apricots have suffered,” said Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov.

Thankfully, farmers of the Fergana Valley noted that there were no blooms during the frosts so the damage was about 5%, which is included in the category of ordinary losses. In the south of Uzbekistan, losses were also within the normal range of 5-10%.

The FAO expert also added that spring frosts affected the price of dried fruits. In particular, the cost of those affected apricot varieties has already risen by more than 50%. “Wholesale prices for some varieties have risen by 100% and this jump is due to the fact that farmers do not want to sell their products. Wholesalers who have contracts to process and supply products do not have raw materials. Farmers have stopped sales and are waiting for prices to rise,” said the FAO expert. Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov also stated that only after the next frost at the beginning of April, it will become known whether the price will go down or will rise.

“Traditionally, farmers conduct approbation and assessment of the future harvest in the first week of April. Then, contracts are concluded for the lease of apricot orchards so everyone is waiting to see how it will go,” Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov added.

Below is the video of Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov’s presentation in Russian from last week’s conference:

Сообщение Spring frosts in Tajikistan provoke a rise in prices for dried fruits появились сначала на EastFruit.

On March 11, 2021, the international project EastFruit will hold a national online conference “Apricot Business in Tajikistan: Efficiency of Production, Processing, and Marketing.” The conference will be held online from 9:00 to 11:00 (Dushanbe). The conference will be attended by international and national experts, producers, and other specialists. The event will be held with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The partner of the event is the agro-media agency Sapieza.

During the conference, the main global trends in the apricot market will be discussed, the value-added chain in the sector will be analyzed, and the issues of entering export markets will be considered. In addition, the speakers will cover the topics of growing organic apricots, retail requirements for the quality of fresh and dried apricots. The topic of tourism will be how to organize tourist trips during apricot blooming.

Among the speakers of the event:

• Andriy Yarmak, Economist, Investment Department, FAO, Italy;
• Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov, FAO International Consultant, Tajikistan;
• Andriy Pankratov, FAO International Consultant, Ukraine;
• Sherzod Abdurakhmanov, Business Development Specialist, Tajikistan;
• Kirill Novak, a buyer of dried fruits, Ukraine;
• Lutfullo Ortikov, Founder of Fruits Valley Manufacturing Company, Tajikistan;
• Alexander Koval, a specialist in the development of agritourism, Ukraine.

To register for the conference “Apricot Business of Tajikistan: Efficiency of Production, Processing, and Marketing,” please follow this link: https://forms.gle/17Dr16brwCXYQ17c6.

The conference will be held on the ZOOM platform and all registered participants will receive a link to the event.

Join the discussion of the challenges facing apricot producers in Tajikistan!

Сообщение National online conference “Apricot business in Tajikistan: efficiency of production, processing and marketing” появились сначала на EastFruit.