EastFruit experts have repeatedly drawn attention to the rapid expansion of the greenhouse business in Turkmenistan, where the main emphasis is on growing greenhouse tomatoes thanks to access to cheap natural gas. In particular, we wrote about the prospect of doubling the area under greenhouse tomatoes in the country in the near future, as well as the fact that Turkmenistan is actively pushing Uzbekistan out of the greenhouse vegetable market. Uzbekistan, which until recently was the largest exporter of greenhouse vegetables in the region, experiences problems natural gas supplies to the greenhouses and is reducing production volumes.
However, we are currently receiving information that at the height of greenhouse season, tomatoes from Turkmenistan not only compete with Uzbek ones in foreign markets but have already begun to be shipped to the domestic market of Uzbekistan itself. There is no official confirmation of this information, but trade sources do confirm it.
In principle, one should not be surprised at the fact of exports of greenhouse tomatoes from Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan. After all, even wholesale prices for these vegetables on the domestic market of Uzbekistan are now at a record level and exceed $2 US dollars per kg. They are 40% higher than at the same time last year and twice the normal level for this period of the year.
However, the most interesting thing is that wholesale prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Uzbekistan are now even higher than in Russia, where they are usually exported in winter. It is not surprising that Turkmen tomatoes are quite competitive in the Uzbekistan market at present.
Let us recall that in May 2023, tomatoes from Turkmenistan made a very successful debut on the Tajikistan market. Back then, people literally lined up for them, thanks to their attractive appearance and high-quality packaging, at a competitive price.
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