Agriculture in the Black Sea Region

BSR: Russia increases strawberry and cherry imports from Turkey, Romania and Georgia

20.06.2014

Ukrainian berries, which in 2013 represented more than 25 % of Russia's imports, have been replaced by Turkish, Romanian and Georgian produce. In 2014, the total supply of these three countries in Russia will double.

The majority of Ukrainian berry producers in 2014 will switch towards Eastern and Central European destination. At the moment, domestic berry sales in Ukrainian retailers "remain low, as producers do not offer large amounts of high quality berries." Insufficient attention is being paid to post-harvest handling, which also reduces their export value and competitiveness.

The Russian market continues to be one of the largest strawberry importers. In the period between January and May 2014, Russia imported more than 10 tonnes of this fruit, which is almost equal to the volume imported in the same period last year. The import volume for 2014 is expected to reach about 55 tonnes.

In 2013, Ukraine shipped 168 tonnes of strawberries to Russia, but in 2014 not a single box will be delivered. The same situation applies to other types of berries and stonefruits.

In the period between January and May 2014, the total supply of strawberries, cherries and apricots from Azerbaijan, Moldova and Central Asia has grown by almost 20 % in comparison with the same period in 2013, but because of the long distances, logistics costs are 25-30 % more expensive. For example, in St. Petersburg, average retail prices are up to 17-20 % higher than they were in May last year. However, between June and July prices should drop by 10-20 % coinciding with the end of the peak period.

Growing supply from Crimea

According to Fruit-Inform, Russia is the main purchaser of Crimean strawberries. Up to 80 % of the Crimean fruit and berry shipments going through Krasnodar go to St. Petersburg and other Russian regions.

The Russian production of strawberries and stonefruit concentrates mainly in the Southern Federal District and only covers 30-35 % of the domestic demand. Therefore imports are traditionally inevitable. To achieve a balance between supply and demand, Russia, after an eight year break, resumed the import of fruits and berries from Georgia from 28 May. The total volume of these shipments for 2014 is estimated to reach over 25 tonnes. Some of the products imported include cherries, peaches, apricots, kiwis and persimmon."

As for Turkey, in 2014 it is expected to supply at least 14 tonnes of strawberries to the Russian market, compared to the 12 tonnes of 2013. This represents 22-23 % of all Russian strawberry imports.

For their part, Romanian cherry growers believe the Russian market is one of the most promising, since Russia is one of the world's largest cherry importers. This year, Romania will export to Russia at least 3.5 tonnes of berries, compared to the 2.1 tonnes of 2013. The main advantages for Turkey, Romania and Georgia are their low logistics costs and low export prices.