Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Russian growers forced to sell cherries at prices lower year-on-year
Russian growers are forced to reduce their cherry prices despite lower cherry production in Russia due to frosts in April and May. As a result, their prices have already fallen below those levels registered in the mid-June 2016, according to Fruit-Inform.
Now farmers from main producing regions offer their cherries at RUB 80-130/kg (USD 1.39-2.26/kg), and sometimes prices reach RUB 140/kg (USD 1.74/kg). For comparison, prices stood at least at RUB 100/kg a week before, with early varieties accounting for the largest part of domestic supply.
The Russian market participants connect a decrease in prices with several factors. In the first instance, prices are under the pressure of rather large volumes of cherries imported from Uzbekistan, Armenia and other countries available in the Russian market. Buyers more often prefer imported cherries, as the quality of domestic produce has worsened due to bad weather conditions and rains.
It should also be noted that current prices of cherries fixed by growers from the southern regions of Russia are averagely 25% lower year-on-year, and farmers expect prices to continue to go down, taking into account limited shelf life of domestic cherries.