Tajikistan: onion exports fell by almost 20% in the first half of the year • EastFruit

In the first half of 2023, Tajikistan exported 103,000 tons of agricultural products worth $24.1 million, Asia-Plus reports with reference to data from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic and the Customs Service of the Republic of Tajikistan.

This figure is $3.6 million less than in the same period last year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, compared to the first half of 2022, onion exports decreased significantly – by 19.6%.

In Tajikistan this year, more than 17 thousand hectares of land are sown with onions. A record harvest is expected – about 700 thousand tons.

Read also: Farmers of Tajikistan expect to harvest 1.1 million tons of potatoes in 2023

Farmers complain that there is no wholesale buyer for onions. According to them, the cost of 1 kg of grown onions this year amounted to about 1.5 somonis, and buyers, including exporters, offer 1.8-2.2 somonis.

At the same time, the export of melons, mainly watermelons, increased by 47.2%, dried fruits – by 26.5%, and fruits – by 51.2%.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this year, about 22.6 thousand hectares of land are sown with melons, 1.9 thousand hectares more than last year.

In the first half of the year, more than 15 thousand tons of watermelons and melons were harvested, 5.4% more than in the same period in 2022.

Despite this, watermelons are expensive in the country: an average watermelon weighing 3-4 kg costs at least 15 somonis. Producers say that they sell watermelons from the field for 2-3 somoni per kg, and the prices are “jacked up” by resellers, who, in turn, refer to high transportation costs.