Uzbekistan exported a record 222.8 thousand tons of onions to foreign markets in the first three and a half months of 2023, according to preliminary trade statistics. This is 53% more than in the same period last year and 40% more than in 2021, Turanews.kz reports citing EastFruits.
The main buyers of Uzbek onions were Kazakhstan and Russia, which together accounted for almost 90% of total exports. Kazakhstan imported 129.4 thousand tons of Uzbek onions (58.1% of total exports), Russia imported 70.1 thousand tons (31.4%), and Kyrgyzstan imported 8.1 thousand tons (3.6%).
The sharp increase in exports was due to the lifting of the export ban on onions by the Uzbek government in March 2023. The ban was imposed in January 2023 in order to stabilize prices in the domestic market.
However, the increase in exports has led to a decrease in prices in the domestic market. From May 26 to June 16, 2023, the average wholesale price for onions of the current year’s harvest fell from 4,500 to 2,500 soums (0,22 USD)/ kg, that is, by 44% in three weeks. The main factor behind such price dynamics was the decrease in demand for Uzbek onions in foreign markets, while maintaining sufficient volumes of supply in the domestic market.
In the next three weeks – from June 16 to July 7, 2023, the average wholesale price for onions in Uzbekistan remains stable at the level of 2,500 sum / kg.
