The minimum export prices for fruit and vegetable products introduced in Uzbekistan in May 2024 remain a subject of heated debate among market participants. According to EastFruit experts, this is now the second season in which such price control measures and their implementation mechanism are causing the same problems as last year.
The government initially introduced minimum export prices to combat the concealment of export revenues and reduce the shadow economy. The rationale was that exporters understate prices in customs declarations to hide part of their export income, thus requiring a minimum price threshold. However, as EastFruit analysts pointed out last year, this measure—combined with the rigid mechanism of its application—has resulted in a number of negative side effects, including the encouragement of so-called “grey” export schemes.
According to Nodirbek Musaev, head of the Uzbek export company Musaevs AgriFoods LLC, problems related to minimum export prices remain highly relevant in the current season of fresh fruit and vegetable shipments. Moreover, the situation is being aggravated by growing accounts receivable arising from export transactions in which real supply prices are lower than the set minimum levels:
“We are once again facing an inflexible system: minimum prices are revised once a week, just like last year, and do not account for daily market fluctuations, nor for significant differences in product quality categories or regional variations. During the fresh produce export season, the market is far more dynamic, and exporters cannot afford to wait until the minimum price tables ‘catch up’ with real market trends.
Here are real examples from practice: In mid-August this year, a Belarusian retailer placed an order for green grapes of the Husayni variety at $1.12/kg on DAP terms. The total production and delivery cost did not exceed $1.00/kg. However, under the official minimum export price schedule, fresh grapes—even the cheapest varieties—could not legally be exported below $1.20/kg FCA until August 29.
Another case involves fresh pomegranates. As of September 10, 2025, the minimum export price for this product was set at $1.50/kg, while wholesale prices on the domestic market, at which exporters purchase fruit, ranged between UZS 10,000–13,000/kg ($0.81–1.05), depending on size. In other words, the minimum export threshold exceeds the lowest domestic wholesale prices by 85%.
In such circumstances, exporters are forced either to wait for minimum prices to be revised downward, or to agree with the importer to declare an inflated invoice price. Even if a foreign partner accepts the higher declared price, no one actually pays that amount. The exporter must then either issue a corrected invoice or sign a claim settlement document for the difference between the real agreed price and the declared invoice price. As a result, exporters forced to declare minimum allowable prices instead of real supply prices are left with growing accounts receivable,” the exporter explained.
See also: Uzbekistan May Become the World’s Second-Largest Exporter of Fresh Apricots
According to Musaev, such price control measures and their rigid implementation negatively affect companies working with large foreign retailers and wholesale importers under transparent schemes. By contrast, those market players long accustomed to using “grey” export practices—precisely the group these rules were meant to control—have quickly adapted to the new reality.
“In general, the price control measure introduced in mid-May last year, along with its implementation mechanism, has proven ineffective in practice and does not contribute to real export revenue growth. Instead of achieving its declared objectives—preventing exporters from concealing revenues and reducing the share of the shadow economy—it complicates the operations of bona fide exporters and undermines the competitiveness of Uzbek fruit and vegetable products in foreign markets,” Musaev concluded.
