Given the growing interest in growing raspberries in the world, and especially in Ukraine, another “raspberry boom” may occur with unpleasant consequences for many producers.

This is stated in the material EastFruit.

If we ignore the re-exporting countries, then the leaders of the world market of frozen raspberries, and, accordingly, the main competitors of Ukraine, are Serbia, Poland, Chile, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico and China.

Ukraine closes the seven world leaders in terms of export volumes with a share of about 3% of world exports.

“However, if the countries are sorted by the volume of net exports, then Ukraine immediately rises to fifth place in a five-year period and to fourth, if we take into account exports in 2020. Only Serbia, Poland and Chile remain before Ukraine, although the gap between them and Ukraine is huge. The net volume of exports of frozen raspberries and blackberries from Serbia in 2020 is 132 thousand tons, and from Ukraine – just under 21 thousand tons,” the material says.

It is noted that in recent years Ukraine has overtaken Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico and China in terms of exports of frozen raspberries.

By the way, in the world ranking of large exporters of frozen raspberries, Germany also exports more raspberries than Ukraine, Belgium, the Netherlands and Belarus. However, all of these countries are net importers, meaning they import more raspberries than they export. Accordingly, they can be both sales markets and competitors of Ukraine.

Poland is the closest neighbor of Ukraine, the main competitor, and, of course, the largest market for frozen raspberries for Ukrainian freezers.

In Poland, according to EastFruit experts, the export of frozen raspberries has remained stable over the past five years thanks to re-export. Accordingly, every year Poland increases imports of frozen raspberries by 3.4 thousand tons and reduces its own production of raspberries for export by about the same amount.

It is interesting that Ukraine, at the same time, has been increasing net exports of frozen raspberries by an average of 2.5 thousand tons annually over the past five years. That is, it is Ukraine that largely helps Poland to keep export volumes at a high level, supplying its raspberries to Poland for re-export at a high price. If Ukrainian exporters learn to effectively sell raspberries directly, bypassing Poland, this will only accelerate the reduction in raspberry production in this country.

According to the publication, in the past five years, Ukraine has been the world leader in terms of the relative growth rate of raspberry exports among the top 10 net exporters and ranks second in the world in terms of the absolute growth rate of net exports. Rather, Ukraine in absolute terms increases the export of raspberries only Serbia – every year it increases the supply of frozen raspberries of its own production by 8.5 thousand tons. Therefore, the gap between Serbia and Ukraine in world exports continues to grow.

The good news for Ukraine is that it is successfully closing the gap with other countries in terms of export volumes, in particular with Poland and Chile, and is also breaking away from Bosnia and Herzegovina, China and Mexico. Interestingly, Poland and Chile have been cutting net exports of frozen raspberries in recent years, lagging behind competitors.

Let us remind you that for the first time Ukraine sent to the USA and Canada one sea container with frozen raspberries.

Agro-business