Uzbek potatoes have found buyers abroad

**Uzbek potatoes find buyers abroad**

Uzbekistan is significantly increasing its export of tubers. According to data from the information service of the Ministry of Agriculture, in January–August 2026, 7.2 thousand tons of potatoes worth $1.5 million were shipped outside the republic.

Compared to the same period in 2025, exports grew by 5.7 thousand tons, and their value increased by $1 million. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture does not report which specific countries the Uzbek potato products were supplied to.

Meanwhile, the country's domestic market remains heavily dependent on imports. In January–July 2026 alone, 419.9 thousand tons of potatoes were imported into Uzbekistan.

At the same time, imports are also declining. Compared to January–July 2025, their volume decreased by 53.6 thousand tons, and their value fell by $21.5 million.

As nuz.uz previously wrote, citing data from the National Statistical Committee, Kazakhstan remained the absolute leader among suppliers of the "second bread" to Uzbekistan. It accounted for about 80% of all import supplies.

**Plans to increase the harvest**

The authorities intend to compensate for the decline in imports by growing domestic production.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2025, Uzbekistan produced 4.1 million tons of potatoes. For 2026, the target is to bring this figure to 4.5 million tons.

To achieve this, 238 thousand hectares were planted with potatoes this year. Of these, 74.4 thousand hectares are accounted for by farms and agricultural enterprises, and another 164.2 thousand hectares by household plots of the population and dehkan farms.

The total planting area increased by 46 thousand hectares compared to last year.

The first results are already in. During the first half of the year, 2 million 254 thousand tons of tubers were harvested from the main areas — 119% of the volume produced during the same period last year.

But the potato season does not end there.

After harvesting grain and early crops, potatoes were additionally planted on the cleared areas of farms and household plots. The total area of such plantings amounted to 71 thousand hectares, of which 50 thousand hectares are on farms and 21 thousand hectares on household plots of the population.

The authorities expect to harvest another 1.2 million tons of potatoes from these areas in November.

**Potatoes being prepared for winter**

In parallel, the state is building up reserves to supply the domestic market during the off-season and mitigate potential shortages.

To date, a reserve of 400 thousand tons of potatoes has already been created. Of these, 216 thousand tons are stored in cold storage facilities, and another 184 thousand tons on farms. In addition, an extra reserve of 262 thousand tons is planned to be formed for the winter-spring season of 2026–2027.

The Ministry of Agriculture expects that expanding the sown areas, increasing production, and creating reserves will ensure a stable supply to the domestic market and curb price growth.

According to the ministry, the average price of potatoes in dehkan markets in 2026 decreased to 4,169 soums per kilogram, compared to 5,717 soums a year earlier.

Thus, the "second bread" became cheaper by 1,548 soums, or by 27.1%.

At the same time, the wholesale price of potatoes in farms and dehkan enterprises averages 2,500–2,800 soums per kilogram.