Apricot harvest in northern Tajikistan falls sharply after unfavorable weather
Apricot producers in northern Tajikistan are reporting a dramatic decline in this year’s harvest, blaming unusually cold and rainy weather during the flowering season for damaging trees and reducing yields.
The poor harvest is expected to hit growers and dried fruit processors in the Sughd province districts of Isfara and Asht, where apricots are among the region’s most important agricultural products and a key export commodity.
Earlier this season, fruit growers also reported reduced cherry and peach harvests following prolonged rainfall and unstable spring weather.
Harvest down by up to 80%
According to producers, heavy rains followed by a cold spell during the flowering period damaged blossoms and significantly reduced fruit production.
«Only about 20–25% of the usual harvest has survived this year,» Ikhtiyor Aliyev, director of the Isfara-based company Mevai Zarrin, told Asia-Plus.
«The weather has changed. There has been more rain, and when the trees began to flower, temperatures dropped and the buds were damaged,» he said.
Aliyev estimates that this season’s apricot harvest will be 70–80% lower than normal.
The decline has had a particularly severe impact on Isfara, Konibodom, and Asht, where apricot cultivation forms the backbone of many farms and processing businesses.
Processors face lower output
Mevai Zarrin, which has been producing dried fruits since 2016, normally processes around 200 tons of fruit annually. This year, Aliyev expects production to fall to just 60–70 tons.
«This year there is almost no harvest,» he said. «Gardeners are saying the same thing. It will have a major impact on our business.»
The company now produces 18–20 types of dried fruit products, including dried apricots, plums, apples, cherries, rosehips, and apricot kernels. Its products are supplied to confectionery manufacturers and producers of tea, yogurt, and fruit beverages, while exports are shipped mainly to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
Aliyev said rising transportation costs have added to producers’ difficulties. Shipping a truckload of goods to Russia now costs about 3,000, $ compared with around 1,800 $ previously, while document processing, border procedures, and taxes have also increased expenses.
Processing helps reduce waste
In neighboring Asht district, another major center of dried fruit production, processors say the region still has significant export potential despite this year’s poor apricot crop.
Entrepreneur Navrouz Azizov said his company exports dried fruits to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Türkiye, processing locally grown apricots, cherries, plums, apples, pears, and persimmons.
«Our district has strong production capacity,» Azizov said. «Under normal conditions, we can supply almost any volume requested by buyers.»
Producers note that fruit processing not only supports exports but also helps farmers by reducing post-harvest losses. This year, however, the sharp drop in apricot production is expected to reduce both processing volumes and export supplies.
A key export crop
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Tajikistan has 65,500 hectares of apricot orchards, of which about 53,000 hectares are fruit-bearing—more than double the area recorded in 1991.
As of June 1, the country had harvested about 24,000 tons of apricots.
During the first five months of 2026, Tajikistan exported nearly 37,000 tons of dried fruits, including more than 11,000 tons of dried apricots. The country also exported around 1,200 tons of fresh apricots during the same period.
More than 200 apricot varieties are cultivated in Tajikistan, many of them traditional local varieties grown primarily in the northern districts of Isfara, Konibodom, Khujand, Ayni, Asht, and Kuhistoni Mastchoh.
The poor harvest is expected to hit growers and dried fruit processors in the Sughd province districts of Isfara and Asht, where apricots are among the region’s most important agricultural products and a key export commodity.
Earlier this season, fruit growers also reported reduced cherry and peach harvests following prolonged rainfall and unstable spring weather.
Harvest down by up to 80%
According to producers, heavy rains followed by a cold spell during the flowering period damaged blossoms and significantly reduced fruit production.
«Only about 20–25% of the usual harvest has survived this year,» Ikhtiyor Aliyev, director of the Isfara-based company Mevai Zarrin, told Asia-Plus.
«The weather has changed. There has been more rain, and when the trees began to flower, temperatures dropped and the buds were damaged,» he said.
Aliyev estimates that this season’s apricot harvest will be 70–80% lower than normal.
The decline has had a particularly severe impact on Isfara, Konibodom, and Asht, where apricot cultivation forms the backbone of many farms and processing businesses.
Processors face lower output
Mevai Zarrin, which has been producing dried fruits since 2016, normally processes around 200 tons of fruit annually. This year, Aliyev expects production to fall to just 60–70 tons.
«This year there is almost no harvest,» he said. «Gardeners are saying the same thing. It will have a major impact on our business.»
The company now produces 18–20 types of dried fruit products, including dried apricots, plums, apples, cherries, rosehips, and apricot kernels. Its products are supplied to confectionery manufacturers and producers of tea, yogurt, and fruit beverages, while exports are shipped mainly to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
Aliyev said rising transportation costs have added to producers’ difficulties. Shipping a truckload of goods to Russia now costs about 3,000, $ compared with around 1,800 $ previously, while document processing, border procedures, and taxes have also increased expenses.
Processing helps reduce waste
In neighboring Asht district, another major center of dried fruit production, processors say the region still has significant export potential despite this year’s poor apricot crop.
Entrepreneur Navrouz Azizov said his company exports dried fruits to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Türkiye, processing locally grown apricots, cherries, plums, apples, pears, and persimmons.
«Our district has strong production capacity,» Azizov said. «Under normal conditions, we can supply almost any volume requested by buyers.»
Producers note that fruit processing not only supports exports but also helps farmers by reducing post-harvest losses. This year, however, the sharp drop in apricot production is expected to reduce both processing volumes and export supplies.
A key export crop
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Tajikistan has 65,500 hectares of apricot orchards, of which about 53,000 hectares are fruit-bearing—more than double the area recorded in 1991.
As of June 1, the country had harvested about 24,000 tons of apricots.
During the first five months of 2026, Tajikistan exported nearly 37,000 tons of dried fruits, including more than 11,000 tons of dried apricots. The country also exported around 1,200 tons of fresh apricots during the same period.
More than 200 apricot varieties are cultivated in Tajikistan, many of them traditional local varieties grown primarily in the northern districts of Isfara, Konibodom, Khujand, Ayni, Asht, and Kuhistoni Mastchoh.
Комментарии (0)