Uzbek cherry and apricot season 2026: schedule for Russia and Europe
On 5 May the export season for Uzbek cherries and apricots begins. We have launched daily reefer runs to Moscow, St Petersburg, and Berlin, plus CA mode for long-haul destinations.
May 5, 2026
The 2026 Uzbek cherry season starts on 5 May — four days earlier than last year due to a warm spring in the Fergana and Samarkand valleys. Apricots come in by late May, peak in June. TRANSCEKA covers both windows with an expanded reefer schedule.
Season schedule
Cherry (5 May — 25 June)
- Tashkent / Samarkand → Moscow — daily runs. 4–5 days. +2…+4 °C.
- Tashkent → St Petersburg — 5 times a week. 6–7 days.
- Tashkent → Almaty / Astana — daily. 2–3 days.
- Tashkent → Minsk — 3 times a week. 7–8 days.
- Samarkand → Berlin — twice a week with CA mode. 9–11 days.
Apricot (25 May — 30 July)
- Samarkand / Bukhara → Moscow — daily. 4–5 days. +1…+3 °C.
- Samarkand → Yekaterinburg — 4 times a week.
- Bukhara → Berlin (CA) — twice a week.
- Samarkand → Prague / Warsaw — once a week.
CA mode: extended freshness
For long European runs we use controlled-atmosphere (CA) reefers. Reduced oxygen (3–5 %) and elevated CO₂ (5–10 %) slow ripening and extend cherry freshness to 14 days, apricot to 10 days — enabling premium retail supply in EU chains without quality loss.
Export documents
Seasonal certificates on a fast-track schedule:
- Phytosanitary certificate from Uzbek State Quarantine — within 1 working day.
- CT-1 (CIS) or EUR.1 (EU) certificate of origin — preferential rate.
- Uzstandart quality certificate.
- Pesticide laboratory test — for premium destinations.
Backhaul — fertilizers and crop protection
On the return trip to Uzbekistan we carry fertilizers and crop protection for the next sowing season. This lowers the unit cost for agricultural producers: one truck — two runs with different cargo.
Read the full description at “Agro cargo — agricultural shipments to and from Uzbekistan”.