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.
