Fruit and Vegetable Production in Uzbekistan: Potential for Saturation of the Russian Market

The problem of providing the Russian market with vegetables and fruits has been relevant for quite a long time, due to the unfavorable natural and climatic conditions of Russia, it is quite difficult to solve with the help of combining science and huge investments that agricultural producers do not have. Uzbekistan, as one of the friendly countries, has everything necessary to increase the supply of fruit and vegetable products and can ensure the strengthening of Russia’s food security. The purpose of the study . The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of the production of fruit and vegetable products in Uzbekistan and Russia in the context of assessing the saturation potential of the Russian market of fruit and vegetable products and elaborating recommendations for the development of their trade and economic relations. Materials and methods . The research uses normative, reference, and statistical information. The empirical base of the study was the data from the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (Rosstat), the Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS Statistical Committee), the National Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics, and publications in open sources. The object of the study is the market supply of fruit and vegetable products in Uzbekistan and Russia. Statistical methods were used in the paper: descriptive statistics, comparative analysis, dynamic series analysis, monographic and other research methods. Results . The author’s approach to market research of fruit and vegetable products of Uzbekistan and Russia has allowed for a comprehensive analysis and identification: that production volumes in Russia are higher than in Uzbekistan, due to the larger area and high yield levels, but due to the larger population in Russia, the production level is not sufficient to ensure a high level of self-sufficiency; the main producers in Russia are households of the population and agricultural organizations, which makes it possible to ensure a high level of yield compared to Uzbekistan, where the main producers are households of the population and farms in which manual labor prevails; a high level of self-sufficiency in Uzbekistan makes it possible to maintain a high level of per capita consumption of vegetables and fruits and consume them in sufficient quantities. Conclusion . Taking into account the results obtained, in order to strengthen Russia’s food security and saturate the Russian market with fruit and vegetable products, recommendations have been elaborated on the main areas of formation and development of tradeand economic relations between the countries, namely the conditions of transport supplies, including logistics, legislation, conditions for storage and distribution of fruit and vegetable products, including the creation of multimodal trade and logistics centers, transshipment hubs, distribution centers, as well as strengthening and expanding trade and economic relations through the use of long-term contracts and online platforms, and others.