According to EastFruit analysts, after the ban on onion exports was lifted and through the end of June, Uzbekistan has already exported more than 3.3 thousand tons of onions to the Latvian market. Uzbek onions are sold in a supermarket in Riga for 1.29 euros per kg, equivalent to 16,689 Uzbek soms. In Uzbekistan, the wholesale price for onions is now stable and is about 2,500 soms, which is 0.19 euros per kg. In other words, the retail price of Uzbek onion increases by more than six times from when it is sold in Uzbekistan until the moment the onion hits the shelf in a Latvian supermarket.
EastFruit took pictures of Uzbek onions in one of the supermarkets. As you can see, the quality of this product is very low – it is not calibrated and has numerous damages. However, such products are still in some demand because the prices for high-quality onions supplied from the Netherlands are significantly higher.
The Uzbek onion needs to overcome a huge distance – about 4,000 kilometers – To get on the shelves of supermarkets in Latvia. Given the high transportation costs, onions are usually transported without refrigeration, negatively affecting their quality parameters. If you transport onion in REFs, i.e., refrigerated vehicles, the costs will be too high to compete with products from the EU countries.
In 2023, the export of onions from Uzbekistan broke all records, partly due to the shortage of these vegetables in several regions globally, including Europe.
For more information: east-fruit.com