Turkmenistan is experiencing a surge in watermelon exports amid a bountiful melon harvest season. The country’s State Customs Service reports that watermelons and melons have become the primary agricultural exports in 2024.
Export figures are staggering.
In January-July period of 2024, watermelon exports have increased 10 times compared to the total volume of exports for the whole of 2022 and 9 times compared to the total volume of melon exports for 2023.
Russia and Qatar have emerged as the primary destinations for Turkmen watermelons, accounting for 62% and 38% of total exports, respectively.
Melon exports have also posted significant growth, surpassing the total volumes of 2022 and 2023 by 1.2 and 1.4 times, respectively.
Russia remains the top importer of Turkmen melons, with Kazakhstan also featuring prominently.
Central Asia as a whole is experiencing a watermelon harvest boom, attributed to unusually hot weather conditions. While Uzbekistan has recorded record-breaking watermelon yields, low market prices have made exports to the EU and Russia unprofitable for Uzbek farmers.
Kazakhstan has also reported bumper harvests. In the south of the country, in the Turkestan region, the leading producer of watermelons, this year, thanks to the timely supply of water, farmers are harvesting the second harvest of the season. ///nCa, 2 August 2024