The problems arising in Azerbaijan's pomegranate export and their solutions are explained
The problems arising in Azerbaijan's pomegranate export and their solutions are explained
The Russia-Ukraine war has reduced the supply to Russia, the main markets of Azerbaijan's pomegranate exports, by 45%, and to Ukraine by 83%.
The Chairman of "Azerbaijan Pomegranate Producers and Exporters Association" Public Union Farhad Garashov told Qazet.az reports that Azerbaijan exported about 22 thousand tons of pomegranates last year:
"15 thousand tons of it were delivered to the Russian market. This year, due to the partial mobilization announced in Russia, the purchasing power of the population has decreased. Since the country is under sanctions, the economy has also been affected. Pomegranate is a premium product. Besides, one of our main competitors in the Russian market is Turkish pomegranates. Due to the depreciation of the Turkish lira, pomegranates are exported from Turkey at a cheap price. It is not beneficial for Azerbaijani suppliers to offer pomegranates at a low price in the Russian market."
F. Garashov said that the annual consumption of pomegranate in Russia is approximately 140-150 thousand tons, and the production of pomegranate in Turkey is more than 600 thousand tons.
"Also, Uzbekistan, which has large pomegranate fields and produces more than Azerbaijan, also exports pomegranates to Russia. Uzbekistan is considered one of our main competitors in the Russian market," said the head of the Association.
F. Garashov said that another big market for Azerbaijan's pomegranate exports was Ukraine: "We have completely lost this market due to the current conflict. Last year, approximately 5 thousand tons of pomegranates were exported to Ukraine. However, now only a small number of exporters export, mainly to the western part of Ukraine." .
The head of the association noted that exports to the Georgian market increased (2.9 times) this year: "This market is one of our traditional markets. However, pomegranates are not exported in large quantities to this country. The exported pomegranate is mainly used in processing plants. "Georgia is a close country for us in terms of logistics."