Value Chains research report Tajikistan final - Microfinance Centre

Analysis of existing lemon growing and marketing business shows that:
• All sellers are independent from one another;
• Growers’ skills and experience of lemon growing vary;
• Some manufacturers do not have adequate storage facilities;
• Not all manufacturers are ready to risk their crop;
• Small production volumes per household;
• Consolidated production volumes are small;
• High concentration of growers in some districts;
• Manufacturers do not consider production of lemons as the main source of
revenue;
• Price is formed on the basis of supply and demand;
• Due to historical tradition of selling from home, the prices are quoted EXW;
• Professional lemon growers who treat this crop as a key business are almost
inexistent;
• Small batches are unprofitable for the farmers to transport to the market;
• Households have little interest in investing;
• Large number of pests and diseases are brought from neighboring cotton fields;
• Low productivity and profitability result in lack of interest by some greenhouse
owners; to some extent they start re-equipping the greenhouses for growing
cucumbers and tomatoes.
Processing
Currently lemons are not processed in Tajikistan with the exception of a small
educational workshop for processing and packaging lemons in Kurgan-tube which was
opened in 2009 “Limonparvaroni Bokhtar”, which now has over 100 members.
Lemon Storage
Generally, lemon sales are conducted from the end of October until the end of
December. Some farmers prefer to store and wait until May because prices increase to
as much as 18 somoni per kg at the "farm gate." Lemons can be stored until July but
their price and weight decrease in the summer.
On farm storage is considered to be viable by farmers as the requirements for storage
are low. Most farmers store their lemons at the end of October in boxes and separate
each lemon with paper and sawdust. The room must have adequate air circulation and
the temperature should not change sharply. Sawdust is purchased from local sawyers
for 200 somoni per car load. Boxes are available in local workshops. Some farmers
prefer to store them in the dried sand. Others do not pick lemons from the tree until
March believing they maintain a better quality and appearance, though they know that it
will reduce the yield of next year. Some lemons cannot sustain cold. Middle and large
size lemons with light-green or yellow peels which are collected in the beginning of
October are the most suitable for storing. Temperature and humidity requirements are a
function of appearance and degree of ripeness when entering storage.
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