Imports of fresh strawberry over the last six years decreased by 88%, from 1,286 tonnes in 2012 to 153 tonnes in 2017, according to a press release from the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club. “The experience of work of Ukrainians, mainly in Polish fields, made it possible to understand that Ukraine can fully meet the growing demand for strawberries in the domestic market, which was confirmed in practice. Over the past six years imports of fresh strawberry fell by 88% from 1,286 tonnes in 2012 to 153 tonnes in 2017. At the same time, exports rose by 90% from 184 tonnes to 1,799 tonnes respectively,” the report said.
In 2013 the maximum volumes of strawberry consumption were recorded, while in the following years the market was slowly declining. The recovery of the growing trend in the strawberry market took place in 2017, when the growth rate of consumer demand compared to the previous year was estimated at 11%. The main world producer of garden strawberries is Poland. According to the association, it grows about 200,000 tonnes of industrial strawberries, which is three times more than the volumes grown in Ukraine.
Exports of grain from Ukraine since the beginning of the 2017/2018 agricultural year (July-June) and as of May 30 amounted to 36.552 million tonnes, which is 4.2 million tonnes less than on the same date a year earlier, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to the report, in particular, wheat exports amounted to 16.18 million tonnes (485,000 tonnes less from the previous agri-year, exports of maize to 15.98 million tonnes (2.59 million tonnes less), barley to 4.19 million tonnes (1,070 tonnes less).
Rye exports totaled 35,000 tonnes (29,600 tonnes more) and exports of flour amounted to 392,800 tonnes (54,800 tonnes more).
As reported with reference to the ministry, Ukraine in the 2016/2017 agri-year exported 44.441 million tonnes of grain.
Public joint-stock company State Food-Grain Corporation in January-April 2018 increased exports of grain and oilseeds by almost 30% year-over-year, to 794,000 tonnes.
According to a report on the corporation’s website, State Food-Grain Corporation stepped up trade with its strategic partner – China Complete Engineering Corporation (CCEC) and shipped almost 484,000 tonnes of corn under the bilateral grain project. Exports grew almost 3.2-fold year-over-year.
The corporation entered new markets of Indonesia, Yemen and Mozambique.
The government in August 2010 decided to create the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine. The corporation has a chain of branches, comprised of grain storage facilities, flourmills, fodder factories and a cereals factory. The 53 subdivisions of the corporation can store a total of 3.75 million tonnes of grain, which includes the grain handling capacities of Odesa and Mykolaiv ports of some 2.5 million tonnes of grain cargo per year.
Exports of grain from Ukraine since the beginning of the 2017/2018 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of May 23 amounted to 35.999 million tonnes, which is 3.68 million tonnes less than on the same date a year earlier, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to the report, in particular, wheat exports amounted to 15.95 million tonnes (501,000 tonnes less from the previous MY, exports of maize to 15.66 million tonnes (2.18 million tonnes less), barley to 4.19 million tonnes (962,000 tonnes less), and rye to 35,000 tonnes (29,600 tonnes more).
Export of flour amounted to 393,500 tonnes (64,300 tonnes more).
As reported with reference to the ministry, Ukraine in the 2016/2017 MY exported 43.9 million tonnes of grain.
According to the ministry’s forecasts, grain exports from Ukraine in the 2017/2018 MY will amount to 41 million tonnes.
Ukraine increased electricity exports 8.8% in January-April 2018 year-on-year to 2.189 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry has told Interfax-Ukraine.
Electricity supplies from the Burshtyn thermal power plant energy island in the direction of Hungary, Slovakia and Romania for the four month grew 7.8% compared to January-April 2017, to 1.421 billion kWh.
Electricity supplies to Poland rose 30.8%, to 541.1 million kWh. Ukraine exported 227.1 million kWh to Moldova in January-April 2018, which is 18.9% less than in January-April 2017.
No electricity was exported to Belarus or Russia in January-April 2018 or January-April 2017.
In April 2018, exports of Ukrainian electricity totaled 592.9 million kWh, which is 10.4% less than in April 2017.
Ukraine imported 11.4 million kWh of electricity in January-April 2018 (of which 10.9 million kWh from Russia and 0.5 million kWh from Belarus). Energomarket contracts account for the imports as technological transfers.
Exports of walnuts from Ukraine in 2017 totaled 31,000 tonnes or $101 million, the Ukrsadprom association has reported.
“Traditionally the leading exported goods were walnuts ($101 million) and frozen and boiled fruit ($61 million). Businessmen received large revenue from supplies of various berries – $11 million, drupaceous fruit ($10 million) and apples and pears ($7 million),” Ukrsadprom Head Dmytro Kroshka told Interfax-Ukraine.
Exports of walnuts in kind fell from 40,000 tonnes to 31,000 tonnes, and exports of frozen, boiled and raw fruit remained at 42,000 tonnes.
The association said that revenue grew thanks to growth of exports prices of walnuts, first of all, shelled nuts. Exports of pomaceous fruit grew from 14,000 tonnes to 24,000 tonnes, thanks to apples, and drupaceous fruit from 2,000 tonnes to 12,000 tonnes, mainly thanks to cherries and plums.
In addition, blueberry and honeysuckle are becoming more popular in Ukraine, as well as organic fruit. Industrial enterprises planted currant, blackberry, chokeberry trees and hazel nut trees.
“These crops will soon take a worthy place in the structure of production and exports, since their planting is not an experiment, but it is connected with the demand for them from new partners,” the expert said.
In general, according to Ukrsadprom, the export of fruit and berry products in 2017 exceeded $195 million, having increased by almost a third compared to 2016.
“The main achievement in the export for Ukraine was the creation of a surplus in trade balance for the traditional products for us, as well as an almost twofold increase in the average selling price. The EU countries have become the main vector of the export of Ukrainian fruit and berry products,” the association said.
