Turkmenistan has doubled the export of greenhouse tomatoes. According to preliminary data, 75,000 tons have been shipped to the Russian Federation and other countries since the beginning of the year. This is almost twice as much as in the same period last year. Turkmen vegetable growers plan to export another 20-25 thousand tons of fresh vegetables to foreign consumers in September-December.
According to the agricultural department of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, the tomato crop grown in the country exceeded the needs of the domestic market by several times. So, in the near future, Turkmenistan may become a major exporter of fruits and vegetables.
Turkmen tomatoes compete quite actively in foreign markets. In 2021, the real sensation of the year was the expansion of Turkmenistan to this market. The products of Turkmen exporters are successfully sold in the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. Last year, a batch of tomatoes grown on Turkmen soil was sent to Dubai (UAE) for the first time.
Entrepreneurs from Akhal, Mary and Lebap velayats play the first fiddle in strengthening the country’s export potential. Most of the large vegetable farms selling their products are concentrated here. Now dozens of private farms grow vegetables indoors on an area of more than 670 hectares.
This year, various fruit and vegetable products worth about 100 million US dollars will be sent abroad. In addition to tomatoes, vegetable growers have harvested a high crop of cereals. They were sent to foreign consumers about six thousand tons. Entrepreneurs who have reoriented to export this year have already sold hundreds of tons of sesame seeds, pistachio, dzhugaru, beans, and clover to consumers. Masha crops have been expanded. This year, for the first time, 2.3 thousand tons of this crop were harvested. 38,000 hectares are now allocated for vegetable and melon crops, where our entrepreneurs grow cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, watermelons, melons, strawberries and bananas. Turkmen vegetables are highly valued in the CIS market due to their excellent taste and low cost of production.
The areas of orchards are increasing every year. Currently, horticultural farms occupy more than 14,000 hectares, from which it is planned to harvest 37,000 tons of fruit this year.
Source: Turkmenistan: the Golden Age Online Newspaper