The current season for red radish exports from Uzbekistan began in mid-March, as in previous years. By now, the season can be considered almost over, as there are no longer available volumes of network-quality produce on the domestic market. In recent years, demand for Uzbek red radish from importers has remained high, according to EastFruit experts.
Market participants believe that with increased production of varieties in demand on foreign markets and proper post-harvest handling, early red radish could become one of Uzbekistan’s key fruit and vegetable export products.
Nodirbek Musaev, Director of the major export company Musaevs AgriFoods LLC, commented on the market situation for early red radish in Uzbekistan and the demand for this product abroad over the past few years.
“As we observed over the previous two years, this season has also seen a high number of orders for early red radish from Russian and Belarusian importers, mainly from retailers. However, as in previous years, we are unable to fulfill all orders due to a shortage of export-quality volumes on the domestic market.
The problem does not lie in fluctuations in the overall production of this crop across Uzbekistan — for the past two years and this season, the volume of early red radish available on the domestic market has remained relatively stable. The real issue is the shortage of network-quality produce.
Retailers particularly favor small-caliber red radish varieties with a bright red hue. However, large-scale production of this type of radish is concentrated mainly in the Tashlak district of the Fergana region, and current production volumes are clearly insufficient to meet the steadily growing demand year after year,” the exporter explained.
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According to Nodirbek Musaev, early red radish is sown in the Fergana region in January, and the harvest is almost entirely completed by mid-April, allowing the freed-up land to be used for replanting other crops. The average yield of radish reaches 15–20 tons per hectare, and this year, traders’ purchasing prices from farmers have reached 60–65 US cents per kilogram.
“When considering exports to Russia, the so-called ‘window of opportunity’ for Uzbek early red radish lasts about three weeks, since the first batches of this produce from Russia’s southern regions begin shipping in the first ten days of April.
However, given the significant amount of manual labor required for post-harvest handling and the lower labor costs in Uzbekistan, Uzbek red radish can still compete in price with local produce on the Russian market.
Therefore, increasing the production of early red radish that meets retail standards in Uzbekistan would not only help extend the export season for this product but also strengthen its market position.”
Furthermore, Musaev added that establishing a cold supply chain, along with proper sorting and calibration of early red radish, could help expand and diversify the export geography to include European Union countries.
“Importers from Latvia, Poland, and Germany have already expressed interest in sourcing Uzbek early red radish,” the exporter concluded.
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