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.

According to EastFruit, Ukraine is one of the leading global exporters of the wild blueberries – Ukrainian king of antioxidants. Organically certified low bush blueberries could boost the health of consumers’ heart and overall immune system, it is also an excellent source of dietary fibre, vitamin C and vitamin K and contains a large number of antioxidants. Consequently, Ukrainian wild blueberries considered a “superfood” and the Amethyst Ole company supplies local and international buyers with it.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) have helped the company to upgrade its production and boost exports. Amethyst Ole is located in the village of Rudnya Bystra in northern Ukraine. It procures and processes wild berries – blueberries in particular. Local businesses and micro-farmers in the Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsk, Rivne and Volyn regions harvest wild berries and bring them to designated collection points scattered around various villages. By midnight, Ole picks up the berries and takes them to the production site. Every batch is processed within four hours of arrival. This ensures that the berries remain fresh and retain their healthy properties.

“When we started in 2011, we already had extensive experience of retailing berries, but with Ole we wanted to concentrate on quality over quantity and, even more importantly, create jobs for locals and give farmers an opportunity to have their goods sold outside Ukraine. With blueberry exports on the rise, we ship to Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Belgium and many other countries,” says Vasyl Chamor, Ole’s Chief Operating Officer.

Freshly picked berries are unloaded in a cooling corridor at -5℃ and then stored in a freezer room at -22 to -25℃ before reaching the processing line.

First, a spiral conveyor fans the berries and separates off the leaves, gravel and any other waste. The blueberries are then automatically sorted according to size before reaching the electronic cleaning machine. This state-of-the-art machine, is a custom-built photographic berry separator, has 16-colour video cameras that allow a 360-degree view of the processed berries.

“This machine is necessary to ensure that only top-quality berries reach the final physical quality check and inspection line before being packed and shipped,” Vasyl explains.

After a final quality check, the blueberries are electronically weighed and packed. Every package goes through a metal detector and is checked for radiation levels. In addition, every batch of berries undergoes regular spot checks for harmful particles.

“We take consumer safety very seriously. Our goal is to ensure that our processing machinery and methods meet the high standards set by the EU. That is why we have all our equipment and processes certified. This includes all relevant certifications for ISO, organic and natural product processing and hazard analysis standards,” Vasyl adds.

Lastly, the company stores the packed blueberries in freezing chambers at approximately -35℃ until they are shipped to customers.

The EU4Business-EBRD credit line helped the berry processor to upgrade machinery and purchase crate-washing equipment, as the company was able to take out a loan through local partner institution Bank Lviv. Amethyst Ole is just one of the 470 Ukrainian businesses that have benefited from EBRD-EU4Business credit line funds.

Small and medium-sized businesses are vital for sustainable economic development in any country. For agriculturally focused countries like Ukraine, it remains challenging to access technologies and meet industry standards, especially for businesses that are located outside big cities and regional centres.

Through partner banks, the EBRD and the EU support firms in Ukraine and other Eastern Partnership countries with finance and grant incentives to meet international standards and regulations. This unlocks new opportunities and markets for SMEs, boosts export volumes and builds better economies in the long run.

Сообщение EBRD provides credit to a Ukrainian exporter of frozen berries появились сначала на EastFruit.

The 16th International Exhibition on Agriculture – AgroWorld Uzbekistan 2021 will be held on June 15-17, 2021 at Uzexpocentre NEC in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This is the largest agricultural exhibition in Central Asia. The exhibition sections include:

• Fruits & Vegetables – storage and processing
• Greenhouses
• Equipment for Livestock and Poultry Breeding
• Equipment for Grain Storage and Processing
• Fodders, Additives, and Veterinary Products
• Agricultural machinery, irrigation equipment, greenhouses, agrochemical products, planting stock and seeds

AgroWorld Uzbekistan is an effective tool for promoting products among a large number of managers and specialists of agro-industrial enterprises and farms of the leading agricultural regions of Uzbekistan. Exhibitors are producers and suppliers of agricultural machinery and equipment and materials for production and processing.

Visitors to AgroWorld Uzbekistan represent enterprises of the country’s agro-industrial complex such as agricultural holdings, diversified farms, processing industries, grain companies, and others. 94% of the exhibition’s visitors are persons influencing purchasing decisions.

The business program of the Uzbekistan Global Agro Forum (UGAF)  is annually held within the framework of AgroWorld Uzbekistan and includes various topic sessions, recognized speakers from Europe and the CIS as well as brings together high-ranking representatives of agricultural enterprises, financial services, innovation programs, research, academia and the public sector on a single business platform. The UGAF 2020 report is also available at https://ugaf.uz/local/templates/ugaf_ru/pdf/UGAF_PSR_en.pdf.

The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Council of Farmers of Uzbekistan. The organizer of the exhibition is Iteca Exhibitions.

Up-to-date information about the exhibition is available on the event website.

Сообщение AgroWorld Uzbekistan 2021 – the largest international agricultural exhibition in Central Asia появились сначала на EastFruit.