In late May 2024, EastFruit reported on the late start of the stone fruit harvesting season in Central Asian countries. The spring of 2024 proved to be unusually cool and rainy, leading to delays in the ripening of many fruits, including cherries, which adversely affected their quality parameters, noted EastFruit experts.
However, the consequences of the weather anomalies did not end there: this year's cherry season in the Fergana Valley (the main cherry-producing region of Uzbekistan) will also be very short due to the unusually early start of the late cherry varieties harvest.
"In the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, the harvest of early cherry varieties this season began about two weeks later than usual. It seemed that the weather conditions were not expected to have a significant impact on late cherry varieties, at least no significant shifts were expected in the harvest start date."
"However, contrary to expectations, the harvest of late cherry varieties started much earlier than usual. Consequently, even the cherry harvesting season in the Fergana Valley this year will end much earlier than the long-term average dates," said Farrukh Abdulkhalimov, director of agronomic process management at the Frutystan group of companies, one of Uzbekistan's largest cherry producers.
"The main reason for the early start of the late cherry varieties harvest is that they accumulated many chilling hours and started vegetation almost simultaneously, or with a slight time difference compared to early cherry varieties. Early varieties have fewer chilling hours but could not start vegetation earlier due to weather conditions."
"For example, late cherry varieties such as Ziraat, Regina, and Sweet Heart accumulated approximately 1,600-1,700 hours, while the norm is around 1,200 hours. As a result, these varieties 'woke up' quite 'vigorously' and then quickly gained the so-called 'summer hours'."
Image 1: Average price of sweet cherries in Uzbekistan (caliber up to 26mm). Source: East Fruit.
According to EastFruit's price monitoring data, as of June 7, 2024, the average wholesale price of fresh cherries in Uzbekistan for sizes up to 26 mm was 15,000 UZS/kg (1.18 dollars), which is 12% lower than the same date in 2023 and 41% lower than the same date in 2022.
Read the full article: East Fruit
Image: UZ Daily
03 Mar 2026
Study on sweet cherry cultivation in Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria, focusing on research carried out in Southern Bulgaria on six cultivars grafted on Maxma 14. BBCH phenological stages and the impact of seasonal climate conditions on flowering and fruit ripening were evaluated.
01 Dec 2023
Dutoit, one of the leading companies in the fresh produce business in South Africa, is accelerating its investments in the production, packaging, and export of cherries, a new cycle of investments that quickly expanded to a total area of 300 hectares across 6 different farms.
28 Apr 2026
Bud dormancy in fruit trees is increasingly affected by climate change. Reduced winter chill disrupts flowering and yield, driving research into agrochemicals and more sustainable strategies to maintain productivity, crop quality, and consistent plant development.
28 Apr 2026
The Chilean cherry sector shifts strategy: less rapid growth, more focus on quality, logistics and reputation. The Chinese market is more demanding, while the industry targets higher standards and diversification to sustain value.
