Long queues of freight trucks—stretching for several kilometers—have formed at border checkpoints between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with waiting times reaching up to three days.
According to EastFruit, the cold spells in April have caused severe damage to the fruit sectors in Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, Moldova, and other countries.
In Poland, widespread damage to apple and cherry blossoms and other stone fruits has been reported, particularly in the Lublin and Masovian regions. A significant portion of the raspberry crop has also been lost. In Anatolia and parts of Eastern Turkey, the cold snap affected cherry and sour cherry harvests—key exports to the EU.
Moldova, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania have also reported substantial losses in their stone fruit and berry sectors.
Related article: Uzbekistan Launches Mass Exports of New-Season Melons
Against this backdrop, Uzbekistan has emerged as one of the few stable suppliers of early-season fruits, as its harvest was not impacted by frost.
However, the sharp increase in export volumes has exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s logistics infrastructure. Border checkpoints were not designed to handle such volumes, and the lack of digitalization in processing creates bottlenecks at the border.
Given the perishable nature of fresh fruit, the urgent expansion and modernization of border infrastructure is becoming strategically important for strengthening Uzbekistan’s export position.
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