EastFruit experts note that events in Kyrgyzstan have affected that the fruit and vegetable business in the Central Asian region.
There is a season of export of grapes and persimmons as well as onions from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan now. If earlier trade flows from Tajikistan to Russia had gone through Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, now Tajik fruit and vegetable exporters are forced to use alternate roads to bypass Kyrgyzstan.
They are currently considering the possibility of taking semi-trucks carrying fruits and vegetables through Uzbek territory. But in this case, drivers should pass coronavirus test at the Tajik-Uzbek border and wait for its results that reportedly increases the cost of transportation and risks of product damage on the way.
This will lead to rise in prices for grapes and persimmons.
On the other hand, prices for grapes and persimmons will hardly rise in Tajikistan as more products will enter the domestic market.
Meanwhile, prices for apples will most likely rise in Tajikistan because it purchases apples for domestic consumption in Kyrgyzstan.
According to official data provided by the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, the two-way trade between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has dropped 34.4 percent over the first eight months of this year. The bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in January-August this year has valued at only 25 million U.S. dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Kyrgyzstan estimated at little more than 5.8 million U.S. dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Kyrgyzstan worth more than 19.1 million U.S. dollars.
