The price of onions in Uzbekistan is expected to increase sharply

Vegetable prices have increased due to anomalous cold weather in Uzbekistan.  Onions were the leader in price growth.  Despite the expected increase in air temperature in the coming days, the price of onions may continue to rise.  "EastFruit" published an analytical article about it.

It is noted that on cold days, the word "not frozen" has become the main characteristic of onions praised by farmers and traders.  But in winter, onions in Uzbekistan are stored for a long time and are not always in optimal conditions to maintain quality.

According to analysts, warehouses adapted for this are not only not equipped with the facilities to maintain a stable air temperature, but also often do not have minimal thermal insulation.  In addition, in Uzbekistan, a part of the onion is usually stored only under a shed to protect it from the rain.

"In most regions of Uzbekistan, the air temperature in winter rarely drops below 10 degrees for a long time, but from time to time, it continues.  The observed anomalous cold caused great damage to onion stocks in Uzbekistan," the article said.

It was reported that between 10-15 January 2023, the air temperature in the city of Tashkent fell from -6 to -13 degrees during the day, and from -8 to -17 degrees at night.  At this temperature, onions in the country froze, after which such products became unfit for sale.  In such conditions, the only option is to destroy the vegetables.  

It was reported that, theoretically, whole frozen onions could be peeled and sold frozen, but this would require huge freezer capacities at temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius and many people to peel the onions.

It was noted that from 6 January to 13 January 2023, the average wholesale price of yellow onions in Uzbekistan increased from 5,000 to 6,000 soms/kg, i.e., by 20%.  As of 13 January, the average wholesale price of these products was 3 times higher than the same date last year and almost 4 times higher than the same date of 2020-2021.

According to official statistics, from 1 January to 15 January 2023, not a single ton of onions was exported to Uzbekistan due to the already high domestic price of onions.

The article notes that in the first half of January this year, Uzbekistan became a net importer of onions.  According to the preliminary estimates of "EastFruit" analysts, more than 3000 tons of onions were imported during this period, most of them from Kazakhstan.

"Kazakhstan is currently considering restrictions on the export of these products.  But even if Kazakhstan does not introduce such restrictions shortly, "EastFruit" experts believe that the price of onions in Uzbekistan will continue to grow in the coming months, probably at a slower pace," the article said.