The average wholesale prices for oranges in Uzbekistan have decreased by 19% over the past month. However, a similar downward trend in wholesale prices for oranges was also observed in January-February 2020 and 2021, EastFruit analysts note.
From January 7 to February 11, 2022, the average wholesale prices for oranges in Uzbekistan decreased from 16 000 to 13 000 UZS/kg (from $1.5 to $1.2), repeating the downward trend in the same period of previous years.
The average wholesale prices for oranges in Uzbekistan in January and the first decade of 2022 were on average 25% lower than in the same period in 2021. As you see from the chart, the level of wholesale prices for oranges in this period of 2022 is very close to the price level in the same period in 2020, except for January 28.
One of the main reasons for low orange prices is the decision of the Uzbek government adopted on October 7, 2021 to exempt imports of a number of fruits, including citrus fruits, from customs duties. Prior to the decision, a customs duty rate of 10–20%, but not less than $0.2/kg, was applied when importing these fruits. Of course, the decision of the government of Uzbekistan is very positive for the country’s consumers, since Uzbekistan cannot grow oranges in large volumes due to its climate.
If we assume that the price dynamics for oranges observed in the first two months of 2020-2021 will be repeated this year, then we should expect a further decrease in wholesale orange prices in the next few weeks.
We remind you that in 2021, Uzbekistan imported a record volume of oranges over the past five years. However, the absolute values of the import volume, as well as the per capita consumption of oranges in the country, remain low compared to other countries.
The main countries supplying oranges to Uzbekistan are Turkey, Egypt and South Africa, which together account for more than 80% of all imports in 2021. About 12-15% of orange imports were imported from Kazakhstan. Most likely, this was re-export.
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