According to EastFruit representatives in Tajikistan, blueberries have been spotted for the first time on supermarket shelves in this country. Earlier, Tajikistan stayed away from this trendy and popular berry in recent years – there was almost no production or consumption of blueberries in the country.
Blueberries on the shelves were spotted in the chain of one of the leaders in food retail in Tajikistan, the Paikar supermarket. According to our audit of fruit and vegetable departments, Paikar far outstripped other supermarket chains in Dushanbe in terms of assortment in July 2021, so it is not surprising that blueberries appeared in the stores of this chain.
By the way, blueberries have come a long way to get on the shelves of the capital’s supermarket. They were brought from Peru to Russia by air, where they were packed in retail packaging, and along with other products sold in small volumes, were delivered by road to Tajikistan. The quality of blueberries was quite good.
The price of blueberries in Paikar was fixed at 39.5 TJS per 160 grams, which is equivalent to 246 TJS/kg, or $21.8 per kg. It is relatively inexpensive when compared to neighboring Uzbekistan, where blueberries have long been a popular berry among wealthy consumers. Prices for blueberries range from $30 to $40 per kg there, even during the season of their production in the Northern Hemisphere. Uzbekistan imported blueberries from Ukraine for the first time this year. Local entrepreneurs are also considering blueberry cultivation, especially after a series of our seminars and conferences.
Tajikistan, just like Uzbekistan, can successfully grow blueberries and export them to many countries, primarily, to Russia, where blueberry prices are among the highest in the world. The conditions for growing blueberries and harvesting in convenient market periods are perfect in these countries. The development of this business is constrained by a lack of knowledge about cultivation technologies and qualified labour to manage such plantations.
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