According to EastFruit analysts, there is currently a true investment boom in the greenhouse business of Turkmenistan, which has one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves. Therefore, greenhouse owners in this country enjoy incredibly low prices for natural gas, which, coupled with a relatively warm winter and inexpensive labor, create opportunities for competitively priced production of greenhouse vegetables in the winter.
It is true that very few people in Europe know much about Turkmenistan, but this country is already among the global leaders in tomato exports. In 2022, it replaced Uzbekistan as the largest exporter of tomatoes in Central Asia, taking advantage of Uzbekistan’s continued problems with gas supplies to their greenhouses. Moreover, it is expected that in 2023-2024, the area of greenhouses in the country may double and reach 1400-1500 hectares. This would also double the output of greenhouse tomatoes as nearly all greenhouses in the country specialize in this crop.
However, this fact brings up the question of marketing. The expected sharp surge in supply could lead to a collapse in domestic prices for tomatoes, and the country is very far from the markets. Moreover, Turkmenistan relies mainly on exports to Russia, which is probably the most unreliable trading partner in the world.
Read more at east-fruit.com
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