Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
2012 Ukrainian sweet cherry export campaign: early start and high prices
In 2012, the Ukrainian sweet cherry export campaign will most likely start 1.5-2 weeks earlier than usual. Usually first shipments of Ukrainian sweet cherries come to the Russian market only in the first 10 days of June, but in the current season farmers from the southern regions have already concluded contracts for supply of early sweet cherries in the last week of May.
Such an information was confirmed to Fruit-Inform by Russian retailers. Many Russian retail chains plan to start importing Ukrainian sweet cherries already in late May. It should be noted that in the preceding seasons Ukrainian early sweet cherries were sold mainly in the internal market, as it was very difficult to meet Russian importers' quality requirements.
According to Fruit-Inform, in 2011, Ukraine's sweet cherry exports reached almost 3,500 tonnes in the volume terms and $7 mln in the value. The market players are sure that Ukraine will manage to export record-breaking volumes of sweet cherries in the current season. Producers expect that prices will be higher year-on-year since the start of the season, as the demand for Ukrainian cherries grew both in foreign countries and domestically.
“We plan to export record-breaking volumes of sweet cherries to Russia in this season. There are all prerequisites for that: the Russian companies' demand is very high, harvest prospects are positive, there will be more high-quality sweet cherries”, Mr. Vasiliy Mikulin, Director of Black Sea Fruit Company, says.
Black Sea Fruit Company is one of the biggest producers of sweet cherries in Ukraine and has a longstanding experience in exporting to Russia and the EU countries.
“Of course, we will not confine ourselves only to Russia. We plan to increase exports to the EU 2-2.5 times”, Mr. Mikulin says.
Mr. Mikulin will speak on his experience in trading with Russian and European buyers at the 3rd International Conference “Berries of Ukraine – 2012: Frozen Produce & Fresh Market”.
The conference attendees will also be able to listen to the Ukraine berry and cherry production and price forecast for the year 2012.
The conference will take place at Stolychnyi Agricultural Center, Kiev, Ukraine, May 24-25, 2012.
To join the conference participants, please, fill out an application form available here.
For more detailed information about the conference, please, contact the conference organizing committee:
Ievgen Kuzin
phone: +380 (562) 321595, ext. - 341
cell: +380 96 5836323
email: [email protected].