Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Russia increases fruit and vegetable imports from CIS
According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, thanks to Russia's ban on imports of vegetables from the EU and some other foreign countries, many CIS countries (former Soviet Union republics) managed to increase their exports of fruits and vegetables to Russia and even kept on intensifying their external trade with the Russian Federation after abolition of the ban on August 9, 2011.
Uzbekistan's government simplified the certification process of exported products, inclusive of fruits and vegetables. According to Uzbek experts, such a decision may lead to unmanageable growth of exports of produce not always of high quality, but, at the same time, is focused on the Russian market's growing role for Uzbekistan's suppliers of fresh fruits, vegetables and dried fruits. Already in 2010 Uzbekistan's export volume of these products to Russia exceeded export volumes of such traditional suppliers of the Russian Federation as Poland, China, Spain, Argentina, Morocco, South Africa and Italy.
Last year Russia imported 200,000 tonnes of fresh fruits, vegetables and dried fruits from Uzbekistan worth about $300 mil. Such a result is almost 50% more than in 2009. In the current year Russia may import up to 250-270 thous. tonnes of these products from Uzbekistan worth $400 mil. Stone fruits, grapes, melons and watermelons account for about 80% of all Uzbekistan's agricultural exports to the Russian Federation.
Ukraine is strengthening its positions in the Russian market for fruits and vegetables too. Notwithstanding Ukraine's vegetable export volume to Russia, according to the customs statistics, to have grown 17 times over last 5 years, Ukraine's average annual export value of vegetables is for the present less than Uzbekistan's one: only $80 mil. Nevertheless, thanks to such a result, Ukraine has already outstripped Spain, Egypt, Belgium, France and Germany in export value of vegetables to the Russian Federation. Greenhouse vegetables are the major category of Ukraine's vegetable exports in this direction: especially greenhouse tomatoes ($47 mil.) and greenhouse cucumbers ($14 mil.).
Russia is also increasing imports of Ukrainian apples. “In the season 2010/11 Ukraine entered the group of top-four biggest suppliers of apples to Russia and outstripped its major European competitors such as the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, France, Serbia, Belgium and Hungary”, Tetiana Getman, Head of Fruit-Inform Project, said during the First International Conference “Apple Business of Ukraine, Russia and Moldova – 2011”.
Moldovan experts forecast Moldova to increase its fresh produce exports to Russia at least by 25% in the season 2010/11.
Azerbaijan's Ministry of Agriculture also expect the country's exports of fruits and vegetables to Russia to grow by 20-25%.
We would remind you that detailed fresh produce production, trade and price forecast for Russia will be presented during the Fourth International Conference “Fruit & Vegetable Business of Russia – 2011”. The event will take place in conjunction with World Food Moscow, September 14, 2011. Registration of the conference participants is currently in active progress.