Table grapes are the second most popular fruit in the world in terms of global trade after bananas, and global table grape trade continues to grow dynamically, by an average of 3.6% or $ 336 million each year.

However, this success story is not applicable to Uzbekistan, one of the largest producers and exporters of table grapes in the world. After all, while all the other countries are increasing exports, Uzbekistan reduces them. Moreover, not only the volumes of export of fresh table grapes, but even those of dried grapes (raisins) are decreasing.

What are the reasons? Why is Uzbekistan losing markets for one of the most important traditional export item in the fruit and vegetable segment?

To answer this question, EastFruit experts compared industry development trends in leading exporting countries with what is happening in Uzbekistan.

To begin with, we conducted a survey of leading experts in the table grapes production industry in Uzbekistan in order to determine the most popular table grapes varieties and trends. And while it was clear even before the survey that the industry was based on traditional, outdated varieties, it was surprising to learn that there was absolutely no attempt to make a change.

When communicating with respondents, there was little interest in foreign varieties, not to mention the interest in the trends in the global market. The industry’s focus has been on improving local varieties. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with Uzbekistan’s excellent local varieties that local consumers like. After all, this reduces dependence on foreign varieties and dramatically reduces the cost of investment in planting vineyards.

The only problem is that very few people, even experts in the grape industry of Uzbekistan, understand that consumers are changing. The younger generation even in the traditional market for table grapes in Uzbekistan, such as Russia, prefers completely different grape varieties that Uzbekistan does not produce. Regarding the development of the industry and increasing the export of table grapes, we need to go beyond exports to Russia, but how can we do this with varieties that are unknown to consumers in the world?

Let’s look at the most popular table grape varieties grown in Uzbekistan in terms of the number of references by our respondents.

As you can see, the most popular varieties are the seedless varieties Kishmish Kora Black and Khusaine White, which were mentioned by all respondents without exception as the most common in the country. However, in fact, varieties number 2 (Lady’s finger or Kelin barmoқ, which literally means “Bride ‘s fingers”) and number 3 (Ketmonsopy) in our rating are also varieties or clones of Husayne variety.

Husayne is the most widespread variety, cultivated for a long time in Uzbekistan. It is still popular because it is easy to manage, and it can be stored long. For the same reason, in Uzbekistan, there are quite a lot of areas of the old Toifi variety, which is going out of fashion, as it is sold at the lowest price, according to winegrowers.

Kishmish Bark (black) is widespread because this seedless variety is universal: there is always a good demand for it in the fresh market, both in the domestic and export markets, and black raisins are made from it, which are also well sold in the domestic and external markets.

According to our estimates, about 71% of table grape varieties are with seeds. There are only a few seedless varieties of table grapes in Uzbekistan.

The rating of table grape varieties made by EastFruit based on experts’ survey is presented below: the varieties with expanding area of cultivation are shown on the left and those with decreasing area of cultivation are on the right.

It is interesting that the areas cultivated with “Lady’s finger”, Khusayne variety, which has a more elongated shape and a more delicate skin, grow the fastest in Uzbekistan – this is a seeded variety. But the classic Husayne took the first place in terms of the rate of area reduction.

The seedless variety Sogdiana (Pobeda, Kishmish black), bred in Uzbekistan, took a second place. It is a notable variety – it is larger than Kishmish Kora Black (which is third in terms of expansion rates). In addition, it is suitable for both fresh market and raisins. Raisins from it are also large, thus they are sold at a high price. This reduces the risk of non-sale of products, as table grapes can be dried if they cannot be sold.

The third place was taken by the table grapes variety Mercedes with seeds. It is believed to be a traditional selection grape, bred in Tajikistan, therefore it is usually called “Tajikistan“. However, in Uzbekistan they prefer to call it “Mercedes”. The Mercedes variety is gaining popularity because it is large. In addition, it recently started to be used for making seedless raisins. Since expensive large raisins are made from it, the labor required to squeeze the seeds seems to be worth it.

The areas of Rizamat F1, variety of pink table grapes with seeds, are expanding almost as quickly. According to farmers, it is good for the fresh market, because the price is high and it is sold well from August to October. Its disadvantage is that it is not suitable for storage, i.e. it is not yet possible to sell it in winter.

At the same time, on the US and Chilean markets, all the leading varieties are seedless: Scarlet Royal, Autumn King, Flame Seedless, Pristine, etc. By the way, seed varieties are also grown there, but their prices are much lower, therefore, producers of all table grape exporting countries are getting rid of varieties with seeds. Even those seedless varieties that were mentioned by some of the respondents in Uzbekistan as promising, which in some cases are imported and grown without licenses in Uzbekistan, such as Thomson Sidles, are now also becoming not popular.

There is a growing interest in large seedless table grapes in the world, and there are no such varieties in Uzbekistan. In addition, bunches of local varieties weigh at least 1 kg, while smaller bunches of 0.3 – 0.5 kg, more convenient for consumers, are popular on the global market. That is, the bunches of Uzbek grapes are too large for the global market. Although some producers say that small bunches can also be obtained from local grape varieties through appropriate care and treatment of bushes during ripening but no one is working on it.

At the same time, almost all of our respondents agreed that seedless varieties will expand in the future, because demand for them will grow. One of the farmers even noted that he did not see a single table grape variety with seeds during 10 days in India.

Why does Uzbekistan remain far from global trends and is in no hurry to follow them? The most common explanation is that the official imports of foreign grape nursery plants is almost impossible, that there are lengthy plant quarantine procedures (about six months), which so far no one wants to deal with, and there is a serious risk of bringing various grape diseases from abroad, that can quickly spread throughout the country and be a threat to the entire viticulture sector.

In addition, the knowledge vacuum about global market trends is also an important point. Most of the publications available to producers, as well as the vast majority of Uzbek scientists and consultants are all about growing traditional varieties. And if someone is interested in other varieties, there is neither opportunities to import them, nor information on how to grow them in local conditions, not to mention the higher cost of nursery plants, which means that the risk of failure is too high.

The state allocates land for farmers to engage in viticulture, but since all recommendations relate to local Uzbek varieties, only these varieties are planted.

Will Uzbek exporters be able to convince the whole world to consume Bride’s Fingers, Mercedes and other varieties, or will they eventually have to start producing more modern varieties popular in other countries of the world? Or will Uzbekistan focus on the domestic market and the production of dried grapes, since it is easier to export dried grapes than fresh ones?

We cannot answer these, but we believe that every year it will be more and more difficult for Uzbekistan to export fresh table grapes to the markets of Russia and Kazakhstan without renewing grape varieties and approaches to their cultivation, processing and storage

According to Andriy Yarmak, Economist of the Investment Centre of the UN Food Organization (FAO), the next generation of consumers will value not only taste and convenience, but also the sustainability of the entire system of growing and supplying table grapes. “The next generation of consumers, who will become more and more influential in the coming years, will prefer large seedless grapes, organically grown, preserved, packaged and delivered in an environmentally friendly way in ecological biodegradable packaging, which they will order online using only a voice assistant. I know that this sounds too futuristic, especially for Uzbekistan, but it is better to be ready for this, because vineyards are a business for years to come. No one would have thought that online delivery of vegetables and fruits would develop so rapidly in Uzbekistan, but now it is real!”, – Andriy Yarmak said.

It may well turn out that table grape varieties popular in other countries, will grow even more delicious in Uzbekistan, given many sunny days and favorable weather in the country. Also, according to EastFruit, Uzbekistan does not fully use its geographical advantages – early grapes of advanced varieties in the southern regions can be produced earlier than in other countries and exported at a very high price. To do this, you can experiment with growing grapes indoors. In addition, many popular varieties in the world can be stored till spring, and storage technologies have long been developed. This would make it possible not only to reverse the downward trend in the export of Uzbek grapes, but also to saturate the country’s domestic market with affordable and healthy products all year round. Now, oddly enough, retail prices for vegetables and fruits, and even table grapes in Uzbekistan, are higher than in other countries of the region.

Accordingly, joint efforts of both the government and representatives of the sector are needed for further development of viticulture in Uzbekistan. Moreover, changes in approaches have been long- overdue and these changes have to start with an analysis of the table grape market.

Сообщение Ranking of leading table grapes varieties in Uzbekistan gives no hope for export expansion появились сначала на EastFruit.

The demand for table grapes is growing year by year globally. However, demand is growing only for high-quality table grapes, for which consumers are willing to pay more. This idea was expressed by the economist of the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Andriy Yarmak during a virtual training on the effective organization of promotion and packaging of fruit and vegetable products for exports. The event was organized by the USAID Competitiveness, Trade and Jobs Activity (CTJ) Project. Information and expert support was provided by the East-Fruit.com.

As Andriy Yarmak noted, there is currently no demand for non-premium fruit in the EU countries. This is especially true for countries from the so-called EU-15 bloc.

“It is also important to know that consumers appreciate ​​the convenience of consumption. With regard to grapes, this means seedless varieties with large grapes,” the expert emphasized.

In addition, consumers are increasingly paying attention to the environmental friendliness of the product and its packaging, as well as to the sustainability of the production and sales system.

It is also important that today’s consumers of the so-called generations Y and Z have completely different values ​​in consumption – it will be extremely difficult to sell non-organic products in non-ecological packaging to them. They will make mainly online-purchases, and not with the keyboard or application, but through a voice assistant, such as Amazon Alexa,” Andriy Yarmak explained.

At the same time, expert highlighted that organic is the fastest growing segment of table grapes. However, producing them is more difficult, as it requires high-tech production. In addition, preservation of such table grapes is also much more difficult comparted to a product cultivated in a conventional way. Moreover, growing organic grapes in Central Asia for fresh export to other regions may not be the best option, as in this case, grapes must be transported for thousands of kilometers, which results in environmental pollution. This contradicts with the philosophy of organic business. However, the cultivation of organic grapes for the production of organic raisins (dried grapes) in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries of the region, can be a great idea.

In general, seedless varieties are in the greatest demand on the global market for fresh table grapes. For instance, Scarlet Royal is the leader in terms of production volume in the US market, with annual sales growth of 80%. The second and third most popular varieties are Autumn King and Flame Seedless, respectively.

“These three varieties account for 60% of the total production in the United States. Varieties change quickly – a vineyard in the United States is not used long due to changes in demand and consumer preferences, although it could be exploited for many more years. However, producers prefer to remove  a productive variety if they notice that the demand for it is starting to decline and replace it with the one that is in trend and preferred by consumers,” Andriy Yarmak explained.

Сообщение Generations Y and Z will prefer organic table grapes in eco-friendly packaging ordered through virtual assistant – Andriy Yarmak появились сначала на EastFruit.

Over the past two decades, plant breeders of the Institute of Horticulture, Viticulture, and Vegetable Growing of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Tajikistan created a wide range of new grape varieties. Nowadays, local farmers often use them when starting new vineyards. The most popular varieties are Toifi White, Toifi Pink, Kishmish Black, Kishmish White, Khusaini Black, Khusaini White, Sultoni, Mugchaloni, Sarvar, Sugdiyon, Nimrang, Chavz, Zarif, Yokuchi Surkh, Vatan, Shohona, Victory, and others.

“Viticulture in Tajikistan has centuries-old traditions,” says the Institute’s director and Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Khikmatullo Nazirov. “At present, about 190 local varieties and more than 30 varieties brought from abroad are grown in various regions of Tajikistan”.

Since the last century, Tajik plant breeders and winegrowers have developed more than 80 new grape varieties that ripen in different periods of the year. Therefore, according to the ripening period, they are divided into early ripening, mid-ripening, mid-late-ripening, and late-ripening. It allows providing the local market with grapes for a long period of time. 

Also, certain grape varieties are well kept in refrigerated storage for 6-7 months from October to May. Thus, Tajik consumers have the opportunity to purchase fresh grapes almost throughout the year. Also, certain varieties of this product are well susceptible to drying and farmers get delicious raisins.

See also: Horticulture of Tajikistan 2020: superfoods, disappointments, and price peaks

In Tajikistan, grapes and their leaves are widely used for cooking more than 100 different dishes and canned products. For example, White Kishmish is commonly used in various types of pilaf. The popular dish known as dolma is grape leaves stuffed with minced meat. Grapes are also used to make vinegar essence and a healing syrup from boiled grapes called “shinny” or “dushob”.

Grapes occupy about 38,600 hectares in all forms of farming in Tajikistan. Out of this area, 33,700 hectares are fruit-bearing vineyards. The average yield in 2019 was 73.2 centners per hectare. In 2019, Tajikistan produced more than 247,000 tons of grapes and 180,000 tons in 10 months of 2020. Some farms using modern innovative technologies get anywhere from 35 to 40 tons of high-quality grapes from 1 hectare.

Experts see the industry’s further development in the expansion of vineyards, the use of modern innovative technologies, and high-yielding grape varieties.

Grapes are an important export product for Tajikistan. Fresh and dried grapes are supplied to more than 15 countries worldwide.

Сообщение Fresh grapes are available in Tajikistan almost all year round появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to the leadership of the Association of Table Grape Producers of the Republic of Moldova, in 2021 at least 100 hectares of new intensive plantations of seedless table grapes will be planted in the country. At least some of them will be shaped using pergolas. Moreover, most of the planned plantings are relatively large vineyards, several tens of hectares each.

Read also (in Russian): The area of ​​vineyards such as Pergola and Gable is growing dynamically in Moldova

According to the chairman of the association, Giorgi Gaber, the leading vineyards of Moldova have been trying for several years to fit into the global consumer trend for a high demand of high-quality seedless grapes. The area of ​​vineyards based on these varieties in Moldova is gradually increasing. But, as it turned out, the factor holding back this process is the shortage of high-quality planting material at the moment.

Over the past few years, the bulk of the locally produced seedless grape harvest has been sold on the country’s domestic market; its exports are small and not yet systematic. At the same time, according to expert estimates, the daily consumption of grapes by the retail market of Chisinau (about 10 tons) can be supplied from only one hectare of vineyard. Thus, the high season of grape consumption in the capital of the Republic of Moldova is capable of taking over only one large viticulture farm, which has 50-60 hectares of table grapes of highly liquid varieties.

According to experts, in the future for Moldova, one of the basic export varieties of seedless grapes may become the local variety “Kishmish Radiant”.

Сообщение Moldova growers of table grapes look to expand seedless grapes production появились сначала на EastFruit.