Prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Uzbekistan are growing rapidly, updating records every week. Over the past month, their wholesale prices have grown by 1.5 times average, and by almost 70% since the beginning of the year, EastFruit experts note.
According to market participants, the main reason is the huge crop losses in greenhouses during the abnormal cold in January. Moreover, given the growing season of this crop, we can hardly expect a significant reduction in prices in the near future.
Along with other types of vegetables, prices for greenhouse tomatoes reacted to the abnormally low temperatures with a sharp increase. In the second decade of January 2023, the average price for greenhouse red round tomatoes increased from 12 000 to 19 000 UZS/kg (from $1.33 to $1.68), i.e. by 27% in two weeks. In the third ten-day period of January, the frosts gradually receded, and by the end of the month, positive day and night temperatures set. Having stayed at the level of about 19 000 UZS/kg ($1.68) in the third decade of January, wholesale prices for greenhouse red round tomatoes began to grow again. From February 3 to March 10, their average wholesale price increased from 18 000 to 27 000 UZS/kg (from $1.59 to $2.37), i.e. by 50%. As a result, from the beginning of the year to March 10, wholesale prices for greenhouse red round tomatoes increased by 80%.
As of March 10, 2023, the average wholesale price for greenhouse red round tomatoes in Uzbekistan was 1.5 times higher than on the same date last year and almost 2 times higher than on the same date in 2021.
The dynamics of wholesale prices for rose greenhouse tomatoes are different in that they were stable in January and the first ten days of February, but they have risen sharply over the past month. From February 10 to March 10, the average wholesale price for rose greenhouse tomatoes increased from 20 000 to 33 000 UZS/kg (from $1.76 to $2.89), i.e. by 65% in one month.
As of March 10, 2023, the average wholesale price for rose greenhouse tomatoes in Uzbekistan was 2.8 times higher than on the same date last year and 2.2 times higher than on the same date in 2021.
According to Khusan Khaydarov, commercial director of GDF Export, a major exporter of Uzbek fruits and vegetables, the abnormal cold in January became the main catalyst for the rapid rise in prices for fresh tomatoes in Uzbekistan. Moreover, given the growing season of this crop, we can hardly expect a significant reduction in prices soon.
“Many greenhouses lost their tomato crops due to the cold weather, which was abnormal for this region, in Uzbekistan in the second decade of January this year. During frosts, the gas pressure in many greenhouse complexes decreased significantly since there was a shortage of natural gas throughout the country during this period. The temperature in these greenhouses dropped sharply below the norms, which led to the loss of tomatoes. According to our rough estimates, the average loss of tomato crops in the country ranges from 50% to 70%. The greatest losses were observed in greenhouses in Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya, Samarkand, and Tashkent regions, as well as in the Ferghana Valley,” the expert explained.
“Depending on the types, varieties, and growing conditions, the growing season of this crop ranges from 85 to 140 days, and the positive temperatures after these frosts were established only at the end of January and the beginning of February. Considering these factors, one should hardly expect a significant reduction in prices for tomatoes in Uzbekistan soon, unless, there is import at lower prices,” Khusan Khaydarov concluded.
We remind you that greenhouse tomatoes are one of the main export positions of Uzbekistan in the fruit and vegetable segment. However, the rapid rise in prices for greenhouse tomatoes due to the abnormal cold in January is one of the main reasons for a significant drop in their exports. According to preliminary official data, from the beginning of January to the end of the first decade of March 2023, Uzbekistan exported 9 200 tonnes of fresh greenhouse tomatoes, which is 36% less than in the same period last year.
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