How much do sour cherries cost in Uzbekistan and in which regions prices are the lowest?

EastFruit experts decided to pay attention to sour cherries that are wrongly valued less than cherries, but are important fruits for Uzbekistan! What are the current prices for sour cherries in different regions of Uzbekistan? Where are the highest and lowest sour cherry prices in this country? We answer these questions in this article.

Sour cherries are not as popular as their closest relative cherries. In addition, they are almost unknown in most countries, where sweet and large berries are preferred. Sour cherries can be called a traditionally “Slavic fruit”, as they are grown in the largest volumes in predominantly Slavic Ukraine, Russia and Poland. Serbia and Belarus are also among the global leaders in production. Sour cherries are a national symbol in Ukraine, since they grow in almost every household there.

Uzbekistan is among the world leaders in the production of sour cherries and, according to various estimates, annually harvests 50-60 thousand tons of sour cherries, which makes the country one of the ten largest global producers of sour cherries. Since sour cherries do not require special care and high growing costs, they are an important source of income for small and medium farmers in Uzbekistan.

Unlike cherries, sour cherries have a bright, sour taste. Thus, it is much more valuable for the processing and production of jams, marmalades, and confectionery. Sour cherries are in great demand in the bakery and even in the dairy industry as a filling for yoghurts. Also, sour cherry juice is more widespread than cherry juice. Dessert varieties of sour cherries have recently become available on the fresh market, which can even compete with cherries in taste.

Therefore, there have been a lot of discussions among consumers in social networks lately, which is better – sour cherry or cherry? There are lovers of each fruit and even in Uzbekistan there are consumers who love sour cherries more.

Sour cherries are divided into two categories in terms of pricing in the domestic fresh market of Uzbekistan: regular and the so-called “dowel” – large and fleshy sour cherries. Their prices are set separately, and “dowel” always cost more than regular sour cherries, since their use is much wider, especially in the confectionery industry.

According to users of social networks, relatively low retail prices for sour cherries are now found in three regions of the Fergana Valley and Khorezm region. The cheapest sour cherries in the country are in the Namangan region – they are two times cheaper than the national average. Sour cherries are sold at 7,000 sums or $ 0.66 per kg. Also, sour cherries here are three times cheaper than in the regions where the highest prices are recorded – Bukhara and Navoi regions.

In general, the average retail price of sour cherries in the Fergana Valley was at the level of 4,000 sums ($ 0.38) per kg, with prices ranging from 3,000 sums ($ 0.28) to 6,000 sums ($ 0.57).

We also noticed a pattern – relatively low prices for cherries were recorded in the regions where stone fruit trees were least affected by frosts in late February and mid-March. On the contrary, higher prices are noted in the southern and central parts of the republic, where EastFruit forecasted more damage to the harvest of stone fruits from the frosts. An exception is the Republic of Karakalpakstan where sour cherry prices are high, despite the fact that weather anomalies almost bypassed this region. This is likely due to the potential low volume of sour cherry production in the region.

According to the EastFruit wholesale price monitoring, wholesale prices for sour cherries in 2021 are even lower than in the previous two years. The average wholesale price is around 51 US cents, up from 69 cents a year earlier and 94 US cents in 2019. However, wholesale sour cherry prices are more difficult to track because large bulks are rarely offered on wholesale markets.