The first dovcha is now available in the retail of Uzbekistan’s capital city of Tashkent. So far it is offered only in one store of the Korzinka supermarket chain and costs 99 990 UZS ($8.78) per 100 grams, which means 999 900 UZS/kg ($87.8)! In other words, the retail price of this novelty is almost 1 million UZS per kg, EastFruit experts note.
What is “dovcha”? Well, this is a well-known fruit consumed in many countries mostly by kids. In Central Asia, however, it is the favorite fruit of the adults. Basically “dovcha” is a green apricot, which is a favorite snack in Central Asian countries and a very healthy product. In neighboring Tajikistan, it is called “gura”. This is the first fruit of the new harvest, the availability of which marks the beginning of a new season.
It is worth noting that in 2023, the first dovcha appeared in retail sales three days later, but 10 times more expensive than last year. In previous years, it became available in supermarkets in the capital of Uzbekistan on the following dates and at the following prices:
- 2022: March 6 at the price of 9 990 UZS ($0.92) per 100 grams, which is $9.2/kg,
- 2021: March 9-10 at an average price of 7 500 UZS ($0.71) per 100 grams – 7.1 $/kg,
- 2020: March 11 at 9 599 UZS ($1.0) per 100 grams – 10.1 $/kg.
As can be seen from the data, the first dovcha appeared in retail sales between March 6-11 in the previous three years, and the price ranged from $7.1 to $10.1 per 1 kg. Even though the first dovcha went on sale at about the same time this year, with a difference of just 1-3 days, its prices are 10-13 times higher than in the same period of previous years.
Since green apricots that could be offered to the market have not yet formed even in the southernmost regions of Uzbekistan, this dovcha is probably imported or grown in greenhouses in the southern regions of the country.
For more information: east-fruit.com