According to EastFruit analysts, a unique trade mission organized by the Project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for exporters from Morocco and Egypt to Uzbekistan on May 21-22, 2023, turned out to be very fruitful!
“My preliminary conclusions after communicating with importers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as suppliers from Egypt and Morocco, are as follows:
a) we can expect a sharp increase in exports of fresh oranges from Egypt to Central Asia;
b) fresh berries from Morocco, primarily blueberries and raspberries, will become more affordable in Uzbekistan thanks to potential direct supplies;
c) the share of dates supplied from Egypt to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will increase providing pressure over Iranian suppliers;
d) frozen strawberries of Egyptian origin are of high interest, as well as fresh strawberries during the winter – importers requested contacts of as many suppliers as possible;
e) premium mandarins from Morocco will be more actively supplied to the market of Uzbekistan, and, possibly, Kazakhstan;
f) Egyptian mangoes have attracted incredibly high interest in Uzbekistan, where China now dominates the market for these exotic fruits;
g) there are also interesting opportunities for imports of fresh avocados from Morocco, as well as mandarins and possibly lemons from Egypt to Uzbekistan,” sums up the negotiations Andriy Yarmak, Project leader and economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Some photos and videos, including reviews from exporters, can be viewed below.
It should be noted that 11 suppliers from Egypt and Morocco and more than 20 largest importers and supermarket chains from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan took part in the B2B meetings organized by FAO/EBRD. The mission was supported by HEIA and AEC associations from Egypt and FoodEx from Morocco.
Supermarket chains Korzinka, Makro, B1, Havas and Amid were very active in these negotiations as they are now actively expanding in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan respectively.
A high level of professionalism was demonstrated by the FoodCity wholesale market, whose management invited suppliers to their market and showed conditions for trade and temporary storage of products in modern temperature-controlled warehouses. Some of the exporters decided to open representative offices in Uzbekistan and rent trade facilities at FoodCity market.
In general, participants from Egypt and Morocco were literally amazed by the cleanliness and beauty of Tashkent, the hospitality of its residents and the very tasty Uzbek cuisine. Many of them told us that they would definitely return to Uzbekistan as tourists to also visit Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities of the country. They only hoped that the e-visa system of Uzbekistan would become more reliable as it was not working during the preparations for the trade mission, which caused a lot of stress to the companies.
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