Ukrainian Raspberry Has Prospects in the International Market, Predicts UPOA
According to the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association (UPOA), Ukraine has been actively increasing its production capacity for raspberry cultivation from 2017 to 2024. This has been made possible due to high global prices for the berry, which have fluctuated periodically, contributing to the overall development of the industry. This opinion was expressed by UPOA head Taras Bashtannyk, who also emphasized that the Ukrainian raspberry business has good prospects for the future.
This is reported by AgroReview
According to Taras Bashtannyk, although rapid growth in production volumes is not expected in the coming years, the quality of the products will improve and sales channels will be developed. He noted that Ukraine is actively expanding its raw material base and infrastructure for raspberry processing, including freezing, sorting, and storage capacities.
“One step back — two steps forward, Ukraine has been and continues to build its raw material base. Moreover, the capacities for freezing, sorting, post-harvest processing, and storage of frozen berries are definitely increasing, albeit not in geometric progression, but in arithmetic precision. If 10 years ago there were conditionally X factories in Ukraine, now there are at least X10”
Competition and Sales Directions for Ukrainian Raspberries
The increase in frozen raspberry production in Ukraine is not observed in competitor countries such as Serbia and Poland, which are more focused on exporting fresh berries. The latter country is trying to promote the export of fresh raspberries by raising prices and is concentrated on the markets of Western Europe, the USA, and Canada.
Previously, Poland was the main market for Ukrainian raspberries, which repackaged the berries for further export. However, now Ukrainian producers have the opportunity to independently enter these and other foreign markets, which will allow them to increase revenue. Taras Bashtannyk is confident that the selling price of raspberries will grow faster than the harvest volumes, as sales at high prices in target countries will ensure greater profitability.
“And, frankly, this is good because both the cost and reliability of these channels are different. Therefore, I believe that revenue from raspberries will grow faster than the gross harvest. Simply because the selling price can be higher. So the forecasts are positive,” concluded the head of UPOA.