While it ranks among the world's largest exporters of products such as table grapes, cherries, apricots, melons, and nuts, it has recently become an attractive market for foreign fruit suppliers.

Despite the thriving fruit export sector, Uzbekistan's fruit imports have been growing impressively. Between 2021 and 2024, fruit exports increased from $341 million to $658 million, an impressive rise of 93%, effectively doubling the figure. This growth is particularly notable in traditional categories such as grapes, cherries, nuts, and apricots, which are popular in various foreign markets. Cherries achieved remarkable success, with exports climbing 150% from $20 million to $50 million.

During the same period, fruit imports skyrocketed from $60 million to $250 million, marking a staggering 317% increase, one of the fastest growth rates in the world. While exports nearly doubled, imports quadrupled, driven by high demand for bananas, citrus fruits (especially tangerines and oranges), and fresh apples. Notably, it is not exotic fruits but apples that have experienced the fastest growth in imports, with fresh apple imports increasing 17-fold in just three years, reaching over $85 million in 2024. Banana imports also tripled, surpassing $100 million for the first time in 2024, while mandarin imports grew even faster, quadrupling over three years to almost reach banana import levels at $95 million. Other rapidly growing import categories included oranges, which increased nearly fivefold in value to $25 million, as well as pears, kiwis, and dates. A trade mission organised by the FAO and EBRD to connect citrus and date exporters from Egypt and Morocco with Uzbekistan is already yielding positive results.

Several factors contribute to this unexpected rise in fruit imports. Uzbek consumers are increasingly purchasing exotic fruits, such as bananas and citrus, reflecting global trends and rising real incomes. Year-round consumption of fresh fruit is becoming the norm, gradually replacing the traditional reliance on seasonal varieties. Additionally, there has been a decline in nut consumption, which typically served as a winter substitute for fresh fruits and vegetables. This trend has also supported the growth of nut exports, according to Andriy Yarmak, an economist in the FAO's Investment Department.

The rapid surge in imports has been facilitated not only by rising household incomes but also by a temporary exemption from tariffs imposed by the Uzbek government on fruits that are not sufficiently produced domestically. This exemption has been extended year after year.

This trading trend represents more than just statistics; it indicates a significant shift in Uzbekistan's market dynamics. For fruit traders, the $250 million import market, growing at over 100% annually, presents a tremendous opportunity. Suppliers of bananas, apples, dates, and citrus from Ecuador, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Morocco, Poland, and Ukraine are already reaping profits. Still, there remains ample room for others to enter this expanding market. The challenge lies in logistics, but the potential rewards of capturing a share of the growing import market make this effort worthwhile. For consumers, the increase in imports signals Uzbekistan's rapid transformation and development. Markets that once offered a limited selection of local products are now filled with a wide variety of flavours, indicating a country that is opening to the world and enriching itself.