Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Russia: imports of Polish apples up by a third in April
The Russian Federation raised imports of apples of Polish origin by a third in April 2014 compared with March thanks to a decrease in domestic stocks in Russia and relatively high prices for apples imported from other countries.
Russia's imports stood at 80,000 tons, an increase of 31% compared with March 2014. Nevertheless, on a year-on-year basis, the import volumes went down by 32% in April 2014.
Furthermore, Poland's cumulative exports of apples in July 2013 – April 2014 totaled just 411,000 tons, a decrease of a third compared with the same period of the previous season.
Nevertheless, despite a decrease in shipments, Poland was still the largest exporter of apples to Russia. Prices of Polish apples currently vary between RUB 30-32/kg (USD 0.84-0.89/kg) and have been almost stable since April due to relatively low demand for produce.