Uzbekistan industry
experts report that there were almost no exports of fresh apricots from the nation in 2021, despite the fact that the export season should be in full swing now. Moreover high apricots prices in the domestic market and relatively low prices in neighboring Tajikistan, make that Uzbekistan is importing apricots from Tajikistan this year. This means that Uzbekistan, one of the world leaders in the export of fresh apricots, is now a net importer.
The main reason is to be found in the frosts, which affected the farmers of Uzbekistan and to a lesser extent, the harvest in Tajikistan. Two waves of frost at the end of February and in mid-March caused serious damage to the harvest of stone fruits this year, especially apricots. EastFruit specialists seem to have estimated the damage quite accurately, since their forecast of high prices for apricots in 2021 in Uzbekistan is 100% coming true. They estimated the loss of the apricots harvest in Uzbekistan at least at 60-65% then. At the same time, they noted that the real damage could be even greater, and they also mentioned the possible negative impact of bad weather on the quality of Uzbek apricots.