March 9 2006, 14:16

Juice and nectar production increases as yet in Ukraine

According to the information provided by "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly journal of Ukrainian produce business, fruit and vegetable juice and nectar production: natural, concentrated, special juices for kids, increased 22% in February 2006 compared to the previous month. And, the volume of juice production in February exceeded 5% the data recorded in February 2005. Natural juice production (except nectars and orange juice), and also concentrated juice production decreased compared to the past year February.

To the opinion of the experts of Agricultural Marketing Project, this season Ukrainian juice producers will face the most severe problem for the recent years, searching for fruit raw materials. January frosts have killed nearly whole peach and apricot harvest, and seriously injured sweet and sour cherry, plum, grape, some berry crops. Apple harvest is also expected to decrease because of frost injures, but the more precise information about the production decrease can be obtained after the orchards finish blooming.

Most probably, fruit and vegetable juice production will not decrease in 2006, but juice producers will have to cover the deficit of fruit raw materials by means of the imported concentrate and fruit puree.