Representatives of berry nurseries report a sharp increase in requests for the purchase of raspberry seedlings in 2021, amid record high prices for raspberries on the fresh market, as well as for raspberries purchased for freezing and export.

This threatens another "raspberry boom" by the 2022 harvest, according to EastFruit analysts.

“Unfortunately, the memory of the first raspberry boom of 2017–2018 has already begun to fade from the memory of many Ukrainian entrepreneurs. This means that a repetition of the sad scenario for many is quite probable, ”experts say.

And they remind that after the ban on the export of fruits and vegetables from Ukraine to Russia, many entrepreneurs began to look for opportunities to invest in products with high added value that could be successfully exported. At this time, Ukraine has already successfully exported frozen raspberries, however, in relatively small volumes - about 3-5 thousand tons per year. Wholesale prices for high-quality raspberries in 2015 reached 40-45 UAH / kg ($ 1.9-2.2 per kg), and this price was paid even for high quality raspberries for freezing needs.

“At the same time, the establishment of a raspberry berry plantation with certified planting material, taking into account the costs of drip irrigation and other elements of technology, amounted to about 300-350 thousand UAH. Accordingly, upon reaching a yield of 10 tons per hectare, which is quite realistic for an intensive project, the investment paid off in one year, ”the experts explain.

Raspberry prices in 2021 rose to an incredible 75-90 UAH / kg. Those. even for freezing, gardeners who did not give up growing raspberries sold it for almost $ 3 per kg. Moreover, in some weeks the prices for raspberries even exceeded the prices for blueberries - a berry that was considered the most expensive for many years in a row.

“Therefore, it is not at all surprising that in 2021 many could not resist the temptation to try to grow raspberries again. What if prices don't collapse? We are forced to disappoint - the prices for raspberries, at least for freezing raspberries, will definitely go down, because no one has taken an interest in the reasons for such a dynamic rise in prices, ”analysts say.

Prices have risen because several key raspberry producing countries have sharply declined this year due to unfavorable weather conditions.

“… We saw business plans for new raspberry growing projects with very high prices. And this suggests that the “Raspberry Boom 2” of Ukraine can be considered almost a fait accompli, ”the experts summed up.

agroportal.ua

We previously wrote that in the Zhytomyr region we launched a plant for freezing fruits and berries