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
13 Aug 2025
In southern Chile, reflective ground films in high-density cherry orchards under plastic tunnels improve the quality of Regina cherries by enhancing firmness, sugar levels, and color. Proper installation timing is essential to reduce cracking and postharvest defects.
19 Aug 2024
The success of these intelligent greenhouses lies in their sophisticated monitoring and control systems. A large screen in the control room displays real-time data on temperature, humidity, light and carbon dioxide levels inside the greenhouse.
20 Feb 2026
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture (Canada) publishes a technical guide on the cultivation and pruning of stone and pome fruit trees. Focus on peach, plum, sweet cherry and pear trees, with guidance on work efficiency, crop load management and disease control.
20 Feb 2026
A Bulgarian study compares the SLECI system with drip irrigation in sweet cherry orchards. Water use reduced up to 14 times with similar yields and higher irrigation water productivity. A sustainable solution for drought-prone areas with limited energy resources.
