In the first week of July 2025, wholesale melon prices in Uzbekistan fell sharply, dropping threefold, due to the onset of mass harvesting in Uzbekistan's Mirzachul region and neighboring Kazakhstan. According to EastFruit analysts, this year's melon season in Kazakhstan also started with low prices, adding pressure on the Uzbek market.
The season began earlier than usual, with the first large melon batches arriving in Tashkent's wholesale markets at the beginning of June, one week earlier than in 2024. Initial average wholesale prices stood at 6,000 UZS/kg ($0.47). Unlike last season, when prices collapsed within three weeks of harvest onset, prices this year remained stable through June. During the second half of the month, wholesale prices were 2–3 times higher than in 2024. However, by early July, prices had fallen to 2,000 UZS/kg ($0.16).
Farkhod Korabekov, head of Fresh Melon LLC, attributed the initial price stability to two factors: a roughly 30% reduction in planted areas for early and medium-ripening melon varieties and poor spring weather that reduced melon quality in districts of Surkhandarya and Jizzakh. This limited the volume of high-quality melons in the domestic market, supporting stable prices through late June.
By late June and early July, mass harvesting in Mirzachul (Jizzakh and Syrdarya regions) and Kazakhstan caused a surge in supply, leading to the price crash. Korabekov explained that Kazakhstan's season began with a strong harvest and good quality, allowing Kazakh exporters to offer prices 15–25% lower than Uzbek growers, even before additional handling costs. As Kazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), it benefits from duty-free access and simplified trade with Russia and Kyrgyzstan, key markets also targeted by Uzbek producers. This has reduced Uzbek export volumes and increased domestic surplus.
Despite the price drop, high-quality melon supply remains limited due to reduced acreage and quality issues across several traditional growing regions. According to EastFruit, strong domestic demand during the summer and autumn months may stabilize prices in the coming weeks.
Source: EastFruit
