In the first week of July 2025, wholesale melon prices in Uzbekistan plummeted threefold. According to market participants, the primary reason for such a sharp decline is the onset of the mass melon harvest in Uzbekistan’s Mirzachul region and neighboring Kazakhstan, where the current melon season began with low prices, experts from EastFruit report.
This season, the first large batches of melon arrived at wholesale markets in the capital at the beginning of June—one week earlier than the previous year. Initially, the average wholesale price stood at 6,000 UZS/kg ($0.47). Unlike the previous year, when prices started dropping immediately after large batches hit the markets and fell fourfold within three weeks, this season saw stable pricing through the end of June. Moreover, in the second half of June, the average wholesale melon prices in Uzbekistan were 2–3 times higher than last year’s levels. However, at the beginning of July, the situation drastically changed, with prices dropping to 2,000 UZS/kg ($0.16).
Farkhod Korabekov, head of Fresh Melon LLC, a company specializing mainly in the production and export of fresh melons, highlights two key factors behind the relatively high prices at the start of this season:
“According to my estimates, the planted area for early and medium-ripening melon varieties this year has decreased by approximately 30% compared to the previous season. Additionally, unpredictable weather conditions in spring negatively impacted the quality of early and medium-ripening melons in some districts of Surkhandarya and Jizzakh regions. Consequently, volumes of high-quality melons on the domestic market were limited, maintaining price stability for nearly a month following the arrival of initial wholesale batches,” explained the expert.
However, in the third decade of June and the beginning of July, mass harvesting of melons commenced in Uzbekistan’s Mirzachul region (parts of Jizzakh and Syrdarya regions), and also in neighboring Kazakhstan. This triggered a significant increase in supply, consequently causing a rapid decline in melon prices on Uzbekistan’s domestic market.
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According to Korabekov, the melon season in Kazakhstan started with relatively low prices, indicating a good harvest and virtually no quality issues. This significantly reduces export opportunities for Uzbek melons in three key markets—Kazakhstan itself, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan:
“Currently, for bulk shipments of non-premium quality, Kazakh exporters are offering prices (FCA terms) approximately 15-25% lower than the prices Uzbek farmers can offer directly from the fields, excluding loading and other additional costs. Furthermore, Kazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), providing Kazakh exporters additional advantages such as duty-free access, simplified procedures, and other benefits when supplying to the Russian and Kyrgyz markets, also EAEU members. The sharp decline in export activities across these three markets has led to significant melon surpluses accumulating in Uzbekistan’s domestic market.
Simultaneously, the Mirzachul region in Uzbekistan, covering parts of Syrdarya and Jizzakh regions, has also begun its mass melon harvest, further increasing domestic supply and adding pressure on prices,” Korabekov explained.
Nevertheless, despite the sharp price decline, the supply of high-quality melons on Uzbekistan’s domestic market remains limited. This is due both to reduced planted areas and a lower share of high-quality produce within the overall melon harvest in various regions, traditionally known for melon production. According to EastFruit analysts, the limited supply combined with strong domestic demand in the summer and autumn months is likely to stabilize prices on the domestic market in the coming weeks.
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