Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The first batch of Uzbek tomatoes delivered by air to Germany appeared on the shelves of the Ledo chain of stores in the city of Berlin, Dunyo news agency reported.

The contract for the supply of fresh tomatoes from Uzbekistan was concluded between the domestic producer of agricultural products "Golden dried fruits" and the German retail chain "Lemberg Lebensmittel GmbH" with the assistance of the Embassy of our country in Germany.

Tomatoes are one of the favorite foods of German consumers. In 2019, more than 2.2 million tons of these products were sold in the country. And the import of tomatoes amounted to 710 thousand tons. Most of these products arrive on the shelves of German stores from the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Morocco and other countries.

The German agricultural market is currently the largest in Europe. Fruits and vegetables are sold annually in Germany worth about US$18 billion.

According to the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, as of 1 September 2020, domestic enterprises sent agricultural products to Germany for a total amount of US$5.4 million, which is 16% more than in the same period last year.

According to the head of the agricultural holding Saidvali Nasretdinov, "Golden dried fruits" has been exporting agricultural products to the CIS and neighboring countries for many years. In order to expand the geography of sales, the manufacturer decided to start exporting products to European countries and, in particular, to Germany.

The Uzbek company noted that at the initial stage, a marketing study of the German market for fresh food products, including tomatoes, was done. “It was decided to focus on the quality and taste of the product and to enter the market with the Pink Paradise tomato variety, which is already known to consumers in the CIS countries as a premium product. After receiving international quality certificates "Global G.A.P." and ISO 22.000, with the assistance of the Embassy of our country in Berlin, established contact and signed a contract with German retail chains,” said the head of the agricultural holding.

The Uzbek agricultural producer is currently negotiating with other large retail chains in Germany on the export of domestic products and expanding the range of goods supplied to Germany. In particular, samples of pomegranate and persimmon were sent for presentation.

In turn, the manager of the branch of the Ledo trading network, Alexander Valger, said that in Ledo consumers can find products from all over the world, including Uzbekistan. Uzbek goods sold through their trade networks are of impeccable quality and are in great demand.

According to Alexander Walger, Ledo is increasingly expanding the range of products from Uzbekistan on its counters. “Uzbek melons, grapes, apricots and tomatoes are delicious. The day before we received the first batch of tomatoes, which have already begun to be sold in our stores, as well as samples of pomegranate and persimmon. I hope that soon these new fruits will also be sold in our chains and delight visitors with their unique taste,” he said.