KYIV. July 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The berry market in Ukraine which grew over the past five years by 7-1% every year, is still unsaturated, as demand for berries exceeds their real supply, according to profile experts.
“Today the fields with blueberry are 800-1,000 hectares. At least 6,000-8,000 ha is required to saturate the Ukrainian market,” Director of Brusvyana Ltd. Liliana Dmytriyeva said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
Private entrepreneur Pavlo Zbynsky, who grows blueberries, said that high-mountain blueberry is the most promising berry.
“The price is from $3 per kilogram to 10$ per kilogram, and the payback period of the project to grow is four years,” he said.
Director of Brusvyana Volodymyr Dmytriyev said that the popularity of blueberry is growing thanks to its transportation quality. The cooled berry can be stored from seven days to one month.
Dmytriyeva added that 51% of blueberries are sold for fresh consumption and 49% are sent to freezing and processing
Raspberries and currants also exhibited good growth over the past five years, however strawberries were less attractive, the conference participants said.
They said that fields with berries in the country in 2013 totaled 22,000 hectares, and they do not have the updated statistics.
They said that despite the prospects of the market, the growth of the berry business in 2015 slowed due to the unstable political and economic situation in the country and the temporary suspension of new berry projects.
“Berries are an expensive product. Its consumption at present is focused in Kyiv and other large cities. Earlier, the key districts for selling berries were also Crimea and eastern Ukraine. The major part of producers is located in Zhytomyr, Rivne, Volyn and Kyiv regions,” Dmytriyeva said.
The press conference participants said that growth of berry business is restricted by problems which it faces at the stage of enlargement: a lack of financing, administrative and tax restrictions, the necessity of certifying products and receiving patents, problems of transportation, the absence of wide retail trade and the impossibility of processing large volumes of berries.
Dmytriyeva said that it is better to boost exports where Ukraine has achieved the third position on the global frozen berry market. The most promising countries for exports are Asian and Middle East countries, while the markets of the EU countries are saturated with large and smooth supplies from Poland, Lithuania, and other countries.
Dmytriyeva said that on July 10 a conference to discuss the prospects of developing the berry business and related problems will be held in Bucha, Kyiv region.
