Author Archives: CrispConsulting

Russia: cold spell does not affect apple orchards

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Air temperature in the majority of regions of Krasnodar Krai decreased to 4-5 degrees below zero on the night of March 30th/31st.

On the previous day the Press Service of Southern Regional Center of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters said about probability of emergency situations connected with damages and losses of agricultural crops (flowers and sets of early stonefruit and pomaceous fruit crops, potato plants) as well as heat-loving plants.

According to Fruit-Inform data, such a sharp fall in temperature negatively affected stonefruit plantations in Krasnodar Krai, but had almost no impact on apple orchards. Local growers say of apples to start blossoming at least in a week. Before that, a cold spell does not constitute a serious danger for apples, as a decrease in temperature is critical during the periods of budding and blossoming.

www.fruit-inform.com

Ukraine banned sweets, fish and cheese from Russia

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Ukrainian Government Consumer Inspection banned a range of Russian products such as: confectionary by “Krasny Oktyabr”, “Rot Front”, “Russky Shokolad”, and “Babayevsky”, herring and canned fish from Kaliningrad region by “Vichunay-Rus” and “Roskon”, and cheese products by “Laktalis Istra”.

Now these products are being removed from sale due to their incompliance with Ukrainian law. According to the results of the inspection it emerged that Russian products are being sold in contrary to the Ukrainian law “About safety and quality of food products” (section 38), the law “About the protection of consumers’ rights” (sections 15, 19) and the Rules of food products marking.

“Currently Ukrainian Government Consumer Inspection takes all measures to remove pointed out Russian products from hypermarkets and major chains of supermarkets”, – it is said in the official web-page of Ukrainian Government Consumer Inspection.

www.ria.ru

Cental Bank’s forecasts

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Russian Central Bank is anticipating a decrease of GDP growth by less than 1% in 2014.

“Right now we think that the realization of our economic growth forecast for 2014, which was made last year, is hardly probable. We had expected the growth to be 1.5-1.8%. Now, in our opinion, the rate of growth deceleration till less than 1% is most probable”, – Elvira Nabiullina, the head of Russian Central Bank, said during the Association of Russian Banks conference.

According to Rosstat estimations, last year GDP of Russian Federation increased by 1.3%. This year Ministry of Economic Development is expecting a GDP slowdown till 1.8% in case of a capital outflow stabilization at the level of $60-70 billion. If the capital outflow is more than $100 billion, GDP growth will hardy be more than 0.6%. Concurrently, the official rate of GDP forecast remains at the level of 2.5%. It will be revised in the beginning of April.

www.retailer.ru

Gold kiwifruit volumes forecast to rise in 2014

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Kiwifruit growers have taken another step along the recovery pathway from the vine-killing disease Psa, with gold kiwifruit volumes forecast to rise in 2014 after two years of decline, Zespri’s Chief Executive Lain Jager says.

The 2014 harvest began in orchards in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Te Puke last week, with the first shipment of Zespri Kiwifruit due to leave the Port of Tauranga on the MV Lapponian Reefer for Japan on Sunday (30 March).

Mr Jager said it was forecast the industry would harvest up to 16 million trays of gold kiwifruit – which includes around 9 million trays of Zespri SunGold/Gold3 – and a total crop volume of all Zespri varieties of around 85 million trays of kiwifruit. The estimated gold volume is up from around 11 million trays harvested last season.

Mr Jager said that Zespri is well on track to having 50 million trays of SunGold by 2018, with over half of New Zealand growers now growing more than one variety on their orchards. The industry earned around NZ$1 billion in export earnings last year.

Zespri expects to load around 49 chartered refrigerated vessels over the next 32 weeks to exclusively carry the majority of the 2014 New Zealand kiwifruit harvest to key markets in Asia and Europe, including two ships direct to Shanghai.

www.freshplaza.com

Russia’s X5 Finalises Ukraine Exit

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One of Russia’s biggest retailers X5 Retail Group has finalised the sale of its Perekrestok supermarket operations in Ukraine, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

The sale of the retailer’s Ukraine unit, X5 Group Ukraine, which accounts for less than 0.3% of total revenue is “consistent with the company’s strategy to focus on core retail activities within the Russian Federation,” it said in the statement. It did not disclose the value of the deal, or its buyer.

X5 is the first Russian company to pull out of the country since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region that followed the overthrow of Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich.

Reuters have said that the deal had been in the works since October 2013, but the crisis over Crimea may have quickened the pace of talks.

Varus is buying the lease rights to 13 Perekryostok stores in and near Kiev, as well as in-store facilities and stock, Capital quoted Varus’s co-owner Ruslan Shostak as saying.

According to the 2013 financial report, X5 has 12 stores in Ukraine out of a total of 4,544 mostly across Russia.

www.freshplaza.com

Devaluation of the Rouble hampers fruit export to Russia

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Although Crimea no longer dominates the daily news, it has affected fruit export. “I think that the political situation cost volume and also price development,” said fruit exporter Kees Oskam from Vleuten. “But I’m actually happy that we can simply still deliver at these prices. It could be worse.”

“Of course we would have preferred higher prices, but the Rouble has almost halved in value and that plays an important role. There are region’s to which we can no longer export because it is too expensive. In Moscow and the surrounding areas that is not the case because the average income is higher.” Trading company Jan Oskam traditionally export top fruit to The Ukraine, but even there devaluation of the Hryvna has caused problems.

“It is a daily priority to see if we can export. I have to say last week was more difficult than this week, maybe because it was still front page news. Obviously we are talking to receivers who are equally concerned to keep trade moving,” said the trader.

“The fact that the pear price is unstable on the Russian market makes for a tricky situation because the market is and remains unpredictable,” concluded Kees. “Only a few apples go to Russia here and there, because Polish exporters have cornered the market with their lower prices, but they also complain a lot about difficulties they have with supplies from Serbia.”

www.freshplaza.com

Russian fruit & vegetable imports saw continued growth in 2013

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The Russian import market of fresh fruit and vegetables in 2013 was worth 8.2 billion dollars (6.2 billion Euro). Two years before it was 7.7 billion dollars. In 2011 and 2012 the value was 5.5 and 6.0 billion Euro respectively. Volume comparisons show last year figures at 8.4 million ton, compared to 8 in 2012 and 8.3 in 2011. Previous years showed imports increasing sharply.

Apples and bananas are the two major products which are imported to Russia. Apple import continued to grow in 2013 but banana import was more modest. Tomatoes, the third import product showed good growth as did fourth place, soft citrus, then a number of products follow which reached a peak in 2011 but in recent years have fallen, these are oranges, pears, grapes and carrots. Onion import in 2013 was also seen to have been previously higher.

Ecuador is the most important supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables. This is mostly due to the banana. Ecuadorian bananas have a free monopoly on the Russian banana market. Turkey is the other massive supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables to Russia but import is not longer growing. Poland is rising as third supplier. Almost three quarters of Polish deliveries consists of apples. China follows in fourth place but their import shows a falling trend and apples, soft citrus and tomatoes are their most important products. Spanish import, number 5, has stabilised after a short spurt in 2013. The main Spanish products going to Russia are peaches/nectarines and tomatoes. Morocco also supply soft citrus, and Israel are a large supplier of products such as carrots and peppers.

www.freshplaza.com

Record shipment of California table grape crop

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California shipped a record volume of 117.4 million boxes (116.2 19-pound box equivalents) of fresh California grapes during the 2013 season, a total crop value of $1.7 billion.

The 2013 season started with shipments in early May and continued into February 2014. California produces 99 percent of the commercial fresh grapes grown in the United States.

“Over the past 10 years the volume has significantly increased,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. “In 2003 the crop was under 80 million boxes. In 2012 the 100 million box mark was crossed for the first time in history, and in 2013 another record was set with the crop totalling 117.4 million boxes.”

Exports also hit a new record in volume, with 48.6 million boxes shipped to export markets including Canada – a 17 percent increase over the previous year. The top export markets in volume included Canada at 11.9 million, followed by China/Hong Kong at 7.9 and Mexico at 6.6. The 48.6 million boxes exported represented 41 percent of the total crop volume.

With the 2014 season a little over a month away, the commission is gearing up its global campaign for Grapes from California which includes retail, consumer and foodservice programs.

www.freshplaza.com

DalAgroPischeProm 2014

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DalAgroPischeProm 2014

April 24-27, 2014

Khabarovsk, Russia

“DalAgroPischeProm (FarEastAgriFoodProducts) 2014. Equipment, packaging. Restaurant business” is the XVIII specialized exhibition of the food products, agricultural production, industrial, agricultural and trade equipment. Products of the different areas of the food industry and agro industrial complex, agricultural machinery; manufacturing, processing, food storage and agricultural products equipment; modern packaging solutions; quality control; product safety research methods, product promotion technologies.

For more information see: www.khabexpo.ru

Modern Bakery Moscow 2014

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Modern Bakery Moscow 2014

April 23-26, 2014

Moscow, Russia

For over 19 years, the exhibition has been representing the entrepreneurial success of numerous companies in Russia and the CIS. Today, the trade fair has established itself as one of the most important international events in the bakery and confectionery industry worldwide and is the leading trade fair for the Russian and the Eastern European market.

Decision makers from more than 30 countries meet at Modern Bakery Moscow every year to get information on the latest trends and innovations from leading companies in the industry. An extensive supporting programme with numerous workshops, master classes, product presentations and seminars lets visitors experience the industry’s trends of the market at first hand.

Notably for international companies, Modern Bakery Moscow provides the best opportunity to learn about the latest innovations and features of the Russian bakery and confectionery market and to establish important contacts to decision makers in the industry.

For more information see: www.modernbakery-moscow.com