A business forum to discuss Tajik lemon export potential has been held in Dushanbe.
Organized by the Export Development Agency, the event has reportedly brought together representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, production and processing companies from all regions of the country as well as representatives of the European Union Delegation to Tajikistan and UN FAO Office in Tajikistan to discuss problems facing the country’s lemon exports as well as ways to support citrus producers.
Speaking at the forum, the Export Development Agency head Shavkat Bobozoda reportedly said that Tajikistan has exported 150 tons of lemons over the first ten months of this year, mostly to the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Over the first ten months of this year, Tajikistan has reportedly produced more than 4,400 tons of lemons.
At the end of the forum, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on further cooperation was signed between lemon producers, potential buyers of Tajik lemons from Russia and Middle East countries and the Export Development Agency of Tajikistan.
According to Harif LLC, lemons have been cultivated in Tajikistan since as early as 1921. Today lemon gardens occupy about 1500 hectares of land. Lemons of the Meyer variety are cultivated in Tajikistan. In Tajikistan, the lemon harvest time is end of October to end of December.
The Meyer lemon is a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. It is a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from the common or bitter lemon. The fruit is rounder than a true lemon, deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe, and has a sweeter, less acidic flavor. The lemons contain a highly acidic pH of between 2 and 3. This means that lemon juice is 10,000-100,000 times more acidic than the levels of water. With this being said, the acidity levels allow for these lemons to be used as antibacterial and antiseptic cleaners.
