Leek is another trend in the export of fruit and vegetable products of Uzbekistan this year, along with figs and watermelons. The volume of leek exports in 11 months of 2022 was almost 3 times higher than in the same period last year and updated the previous record of 2019, analysts say.
According to preliminary official data, Uzbekistan exported 15 000 tonnes of leeks worth $5.8 million in January-November 2022, which is 2.9 times more in physical terms than in the same period last year. Moreover, their export over the 11 months of this year in physical terms exceeded the previous record figure of 2019 by 2.3 times.
As can be seen from the chart, after a sharp decline in 2020, leek exports from Uzbekistan began to recover again and have been growing for the second year in a row. The main buyer of Uzbek leeks is Kazakhstan. The importer accounts for 74% to 90% of the total leek exports from Uzbekistan in 2018-2021.
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The share of Kazakhstan in the total export of Uzbek leeks in January-November 2022 increased further and amounted to 97.7%. The rest was shipped to the Russian market – 272 tonnes (1.8%) and small lots to Poland – 29 tonnes, Latvia – 28 tonnes, Ukraine – 7 tonnes, and Belarus – 3 tonnes.
Despite a threefold increase in leek exports from Uzbekistan in January-November 2022 compared to the same period last year, the volume of leek exports to the Russian market decreased by 3.2 times compared to last year. Such a sharp increase in exports this year is due to an increase in shipments to Kazakhstan – by 3.4 times compared to the same period last year.