Uzbek Cherry Exports to China Fall Drastically This Season

According to an Uzbek domestic media report released on Oct. 4, Uzbekistan exported $19 million worth of produce to China in the first seven months of 2020, representing a 44% year-on-year decrease. Among the produce items exported, fresh cherries suffered the largest loss.

Data collected from China Customs indicate that China imported 104 tons of fresh cherries with a total value of $468,000 from Uzbekistan between January and July of this year, in stark contrast to the same period of 2019 when 602 tons or $3.78 million worth of fresh cherries were imported, corresponding to year-on-year decreases of 83% and 88%, respectively.

As to the reasons behind this significant drop, Uzbek cherry companies have attributed it to a combination of factors. First, spring frosts this year have led to a lower crop. Second, stricter inspection and quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have placed severe restrictions on international trade.

In addition to Uzbekistan, fresh cherries from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have also been granted market access to China. However, cherries originating from Central Asian countries encounter very similar challenges on the Chinese market. Although these cherries enjoy a tremendous advantage in terms of price, they also suffer from several disadvantages, such as outdated varieties, limited transportation resources and insufficient post-harvest and packing technologies, which have prevented them from gaining a greater market share in China.

In the first seven months of 2020, Kyrgyzstan exported 164 tons of fresh cherries with a total value of $650,000 to China, year-on-year decreases of 7.5 tons and $264,000, respectively. Although Tajikistan did not export fresh cherries to China between January and July, the figures for the same period of last year were 94 tons and $517,000.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.