Lemon crisis in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, local lemon is not in demand, and imports are growing

According to EastFruit analysts, prices for lemons in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have dropped to record lows, and prices for these citrus fruits continue to fall. “Even the retail price of lemons in Tajikistan has already dropped to the equivalent of 50 US cents per kg – this has never happened before. Farmers are shocked – ripe lemons are simply left on the trees, because there is no demand for them,” says Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov, international consultant of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The situation is slightly better in neighboring Uzbekistan, where retail prices for lemons have already dropped below $1 per kg in some retail outlets, but the trend here is also disappointing for producers. After all, there have never been such low prices for lemons in retail during this period of the year. “Lemon prices in Uzbekistan are also decreasing, though not at the same pace as in Tajikistan, because the export of fresh lemons is more developed. But ...