Ukrainian exporters in 2021 for the first time sent one sea container with frozen raspberries to the United States and Canada. This event is important for domestic producers, since this berry is traditionally more expensive in the markets of these countries than in other regions of the world.
As reported on the website of the Ukrainian Horticultural Association (UHA) on Monday, the importance of this event for the development of production and freezing of berries in Ukraine is explained by the high level of requirements for product quality and logistics, which were successfully overcome by Ukrainian suppliers this year.
“One shipment of raspberries was sent to Canada and the United States in the amount of one sea container. The logistics took about one and a half months, and the buyer was satisfied with the quality of the supplied products and is considering the possibility of continuing cooperation with Ukrainian suppliers on an ongoing basis,” the association said.
The association said that the higher import price for berries in the United States and Canada is due to high requirements for the quality of products, for the confirmation of which Ukrainian exporters have been certified by the FDA (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration).
“The United States and Canada account for about 80% of all global imports of frozen raspberries in value terms and about 65% in physical terms. However, Ukraine has traditionally exported frozen raspberries mainly to Poland, which makes good money on the re-export of Ukrainian raspberries to other countries of the world,” the organization said, citing Economist of the Investment Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Andriy Yarmak.
According to the UHA, the United States imports frozen raspberries from Chile, Mexico and Serbia, and Canada from Chile, Serbia, the United States and Mexico.
The approximate carrying capacity of a standard 40-foot sea container is 27 tonnes.
“Accordingly, for Ukraine, which is one of the five largest world exporters of frozen raspberries, it is very important to gain a foothold in these two most important sales markets. This is especially important amid the expected growth in production of all types of berries in 2022-2024. It remains to hope that not only the volume, but also the quality of the berries produced will grow,” the association said.
According to the data on the website of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, in 2020 Ukraine produced 35,000 tonnes of this berry, ranking seventh in the world in terms of its production. Some 89% of this berry was grown on household farms.
Last year, Ukraine exported 539 tonnes of raspberries, which is 2% of its total production. At the same time, Poland was practically the only consumer of Ukrainian fresh raspberries.
