Skyrocketing demand for Uzbek sour cherries: foreign companies are relocating to Tashkent to secure supply.
The sour cherry market in Uzbekistan is experiencing a golden moment. According to EastFruit sources, demand from buyers in Russia and Belarus has reached unprecedented levels.
In the capital Tashkent, meetings between local producers and foreign companies are taking place non-stop: many Belarusian operators have even permanently relocated to the country to directly oversee supply, freezing, and subsequent resale of the product to markets such as Russia and Poland.
A Uzbek producer of frozen fruit and berries reports that "just some of the interested buyers have already ordered 5,000 tons of frozen sour cherries." A figure that confirms how strong the demand pressure is.
Compared to the past, when operations were managed remotely, new players in international trade now choose to be physically present on site.
They visit farms directly, closely monitor logistics, and oversee processing operations. This change in strategy reflects the desire to maintain a competitive advantage over other importers.
Behind this rush for supply is also a key climate factor: the late frosts in April and May 2025 have severely affected orchards in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly damaging cherry and sour cherry crops.
Yields this year are expected to reach historic lows.
In this context, Uzbekistan presents itself as a reliable alternative. Thanks to the good quality of frozen fruit and competitive prices, the country could record record export volumes of cherries in 2025, especially to ex-CIS and Eastern European markets.
For Uzbek growers and processors, the demand boom represents an unprecedented opportunity, but also a demanding challenge.
The increase in competition for high-quality raw materials and the rising standards required in terms of packaging and logistics call for a leap in quality.
According to experts, the creation of cooperatives and the adoption of modern technologies for sorting and packaging could prove to be winning strategies to consolidate Uzbekistan's position in international markets.
Source of text and image: east-fruit.com
15 May 2025
Washington State University is transforming cherry breeding with an advanced optical sorter. Faster, more precise and objective analysis of fruit traits—such as size, color and defects—brings major benefits to varietal selection and lab efficiency.
14 Jan 2025
A recent study from Poland compared two propagation methods for GiSelA 5: the use of stem cuttings and the in vitro method, evaluating their impact on tree growth, particularly on the varieties “Bellise”, “Earlise”, “Lapins”, and “Vanda”.
03 Oct 2025
Rootstock selection in high-density cherry orchards affects tree vigour, fruit size, biochemical quality and postharvest resistance. A Turkish study on Krymsk 5, Gisela 6 and Piku 1 with 0900 Ziraat and Regina cultivars identifies ideal combinations for various markets.
03 Oct 2025
Chilean cherries strengthen their footprint in Southeast Asia: over 2,200 tons exported to Thailand and new market openings in Vietnam and Indonesia. ProChile’s ASEAN mission also paves the way for kiwifruit, blueberries and citrus, boosting Chile’s fruit diversification strategy
