Author Archives: CrispConsulting

Russia Bans the Supply of Selected Fruits and Vegetables from Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey

Written by

The list of new bans announced by Rosselkhoznadzor citing quarantine issues with supplies of vegetables and fruits to Russia as they unfolded this week.

– Ban on the supply of greenhouse tomatoes and peppers to Russia from the Fergana region of Uzbekistan due to the detection of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV);

– Ban on the supply of dried apricots and all plant products to Russia from the Fergana region of Uzbekistan after the discovery of a quarantine object – the khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium Ev.) – in a batch of dried apricots for Russia and the EAEU member states;

– Ban on the supply of greenhouse tomatoes and peppers from the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan due to the discovery of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and for the same reason from the Navoi region of Uzbekistan;

– Ban on the supply of greenhouse tomatoes and peppers to Russia from the Armavir region of Armenia due to the detection of the Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) in a batch of products;

– Ban on the supply of apples and greenhouse tomatoes from Azerbaijan to Russia due to multiple violations of quarantine laws. This, according to EastFruit, will also affect a significant part of the supply of these products from Iran since a significant amount of Iran’s products enters Russia in transit through Azerbaijan;

– Ban on the supply of greenhouse tomatoes and peppers from the Izmir and Antalya provinces in Turkey due to the systematic identification of quarantine objects such as South American tomato moth (Tuta absoluta (Meyrick)), Western California (flower) thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Perg)), Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV), tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), and tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV).

– Ban, more than a month ago, on the imports of tomatoes and peppers from Grodno, Gomel, Minsk, and Brest regions of Belarus due to the detection of the Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV).

(more…)

Rosselkhoznadzor bans import of tomatoes and apples from Azerbaijan from December 10

Written by

Starting fromDecember 10, the Rosselkhoznadzor banned the import of apples and tomatoes from Azerbaijan to Russia due to the detection of pests in products from this country, the Russian department said.

Earlier, the Rosselkhoznadzor reported to the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan about cases of detection of objects quarantine for the EAEU member states in regulated products that are supplied to Russia.

The department noted that in order to prevent the import and spread of pests in Russia, the Rosselkhoznadzor prohibits the import of tomatoes and apples of Azerbaijani origin into Russia from December 10, 2020.

The Rosselkhoznadzor also clarified that since October 22, 2020, 17 cases of South American tomato moth (Tuta absoluta (Povolny) and eastern moth (Grapholita molesta (Busck)) have been detected in apple and tomatoes from Azerbaijan.

www.tass.ru

Russia is a World Leader in Mandarin Imports, Despite a Drop in Volume

Written by

Russia continues to be the world leader in terms of importing mandarins and their analogs (clementines, tangerines, satsuma, etc.) by a wide margin, despite the decline in volumes and imports observed in recent years.

In 2019, Russia imported 713,200 mt of mandarins, significantly less than in 2014 when the country imported 847,000 mt of these citrus fruits. However, the second place in the world ranking belongs to Germany, having imported more than two times less than Russia, namely, 346,000 mt of mandarins. Other leaders in terms of import volumes are France, the United States, Great Britain, and Ukraine.

Besides, unlike Russia, Ukraine continues to increase its imports of mandarins. In 2014, Ukraine imported 158,000 mt of mandarins and a record volume in 2019 of 180,300 mt.

Partially, this decline in imports of mandarins to Russia is explained by the so-called “anti-sanctions”: Russia cannot purchase fruits in the EU countries because of the ban. At the same time, Ukraine continues to buy large volumes of mandarins from the southern countries of the European Union, such as Spain, Greece, and Italy. Russia, in addition to Turkey, buys mandarins from Pakistan, China, Morocco, and Georgia, which significantly narrows the possibilities of importing premium quality fruits. Therefore, traditionally, Belarus is engaged in re-exporting citrus fruits from the sanctioned regions to Russia.

It is interesting to note that in the first ten months of 2020, Russia dramatically increased its imports of mandarins. Morocco provided the main increase in supplies: in 2020, deliveries of mandarins from Morocco to Russia increased by 59%. Pakistan and Turkey also increased their export volumes. Mandarins’ supplies to Ukraine also increased in 2020, but the growth rates of imports were lower than in Russia.

www.east-fruit.com

Georgia Exported over 7,800 mt of persimmons since start of season

Written by

The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia reported that Georgia exported 7,824 mt of persimmons (including the kinglet variety) from 1 August 2020 to 23 November 2020, which is up 14% than a year ago. In monetary terms, persimmons exports amounted to $4.2 million, which is 18% more than last year. Also, “during this period, the export price for persimmons increased by 4%,” the ministry said.

Russia received the most persimmons from Georgia at 3,377 mt (or 43% of the total export of this crop) followed in second place by Ukraine with 2,832 mt among export markets and Armenia in third place with 1,475 mt. Georgian persimmons are also exported to Belarus, Qatar, Moldova, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, and Hungary.

According to official data, Georgia exported roughly 8,000 mt of persimmons in all of 2019. The main sales markets were Armenia (4,300 mt), Ukraine (2,700 mt), and Russia (800 mt). In monetary terms, exports amounted to $4.2 million.

Mass harvesting of persimmons in Georgia usually takes place from the second half of October to the second half of November. Persimmon fruiting in many modern orchards begins in September and continues for several months. Of note is that more than 100 hectares of intensive persimmon orchards were developed with the support of the state project “Plant the Future.”

Persimmons production has been growing in Georgia over the past 3 years. The harvest of persimmon amounted to 8,900 mt in 2017, 10,000 tons in 2018, and 14,300 mt in 2019.

The main regions of Georgia supplying persimmons to the market are the Kakheti region in Eastern Georgia, Imereti and Samegrelo regions in Western Georgia, and the Adjara region.

www.east-fruit.com

The share of imported vegetables in Russia may decrease to 10% in five years

Written by

Over the next five years, the share of imported vegetables on the Russian market may decrease from 16% to 10%. This forecast is given by the Center for Industry Expertise of the Russian Agricultural Bank. According to the forecast, in 2019, 558,000 mt of tomatoes and about 100,000 mt of cucumbers were imported to the Russian Federation, and by 2025 the import of these products may decrease to 347,000 mt and 36,000 mt, respectively.

According to forecasts of the Ministry of Agriculture, this year the production of greenhouse vegetables will increase by 6.1%, to 1.25 million mt year-on-year, which will be a record figure. The Center for Industry Expertise of the Russian Agricultural Bank expects that Russian operators of greenhouse facilities will continue to increase production by an average of 7% per year. And the consumption of fresh vegetables in the country will grow by about 1% annually and will reach 115 kg per capita by 2028. Today it is  109 kg per capita.

Producers of greenhouse vegetables applied to the Ministry of Agriculture with a request to allocate 5 billion rubles from the budget of incentive subsidies to compensate for the part of the costs. As noted in the association “Greenhouses of Russia”, options for supporting the greenhouse industry needs to be intensified, as companies are faced with a decrease in consumer demand and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the profitability of greenhouse operators fell to 5-7%.

www.kommersant.ru

The Main Buyer of Bielorussian Potatoes in H1 of 2020 was Ukraine, vegetables – Russia

Written by

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus, in January-September 2020, the country’s organizations exported agricultural products and food products worth more than $4,2 billion, or 106,1% against the level of the corresponding period of 2019.

The export of crop products amounted to $363,8 million.

The most export-oriented are fresh vegetables – with a share of 44,5% of the total export of crop products, fruits and berries – 29,7%, potatoes – 7,7%, flax fiber – 3,6%.

The geography of export of crop products in January-September 2020 includes 39 countries of the world. The most volumetric supplies traditionally fall on the neighboring countries (the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan) and the countries of the European Union (Germany, Lithuania, Poland, France).

Export of fresh vegetables amounted to 248,6 thousand mt. in the amount of $161,7 million. Vegetables were exported to 29 countries of the world, of which 78,5% – to Russia ($126,9 million), to Germany – 6,3% ($10,1 million), Lithuania – 4,9% ($7,9 million), Poland – 3,8% ($6,2 million) and other countries.

For 9 months of this year, 185,2 thousand mt of potatoes were exported to the amount of 27,9 million US dollars. The export geography includes 8 countries (Ukraine – 144,6 thousand mt, Russia – 29,2 thousand mt, Moldova – 10,1 thousand mt and others).

www.en.potatosystem.ru

Putin Extends Counter-Sanctions Until End of 2021

Written by

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree extending certain special economic measures against countries that have imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation until December 31, 2021. The document was published on Saturday on the official website of legal information.

The government has been instructed to ensure the implementation of the decree and, if necessary, make proposals to change the period of validity of these counter-sanctions.

In March 2014, due to the situation in Ukraine, the European Union and a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand, Iceland, began to impose sanctions on Russia. In particular, it included sanctions lists of Russian individuals and legal entities. Restrictive measures included a ban on entry, freezing of accounts. In addition, the so-called sectoral sanctions were introduced: the assets of the companies falling under them were not frozen, but restrictions were imposed on medium and long-term lending.

In response, on August 6, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree, based on which the Russian government imposed a ban on imports of a number of food products from the United States, the European Union, Norway, Australia, and Canada.

After the EU countries extended sanctions against Russia on June 22, 2015, on June 24, Putin extended the food embargo for another year. Subsequently, it was extended three times, most recently on June 24, 2019, until the end of 2020.

In June 2019, Putin extended counter-sanctions until December 31, 2020, and amended the norms of the original decree on counter-sanctions from August 6, 2014, and the decree from October 22, 2018, on counter-sanctions against Ukraine.

www.tass.com

Kaufland creates Moldovan food brand

Written by

The international supermarket chain Kaufland has launched an ambitious project called “Vreau din Moldova” which translates to “I want Moldovan” in English and it is focused on supporting local producers in Moldova. This new product line will include Moldovan goods, which in the future may become especially popular with consumers.

The new brand will include both processed products and fresh goods such as dried fruits and nuts. For the latter, these products will come from southern Moldova, in particular the Gagauz region. It is there that the largest almond plantations are concentrated (approximately 1,000 ha), which is 70% of the total area of ​​almond plantations in the entire country. Additionally, the southern region produces walnuts and fruits such as plums as well as viticulture. Cooperation between farmers in the south tends to be more receptive compared to the central and northern regions of the country.

Moldovan almonds are currently exported to countries such as Romania, Iraq, and Azerbaijan. However, in the domestic market, Kaufland will be the first supermarket chain in which Moldovan almonds and products will be presented in a wide range and in large quantities.

Back in September, Kaufland-Moldova supermarkets started tasting and testing products in focus groups with consumers. The first contracts with Moldovan suppliers of nuts and dried fruits will be signed in February 2021, but only after the goods have passed quality certification (e.g., IFS, FSSC 22000) in Germany.

In 2020, the share of local products in Kaufland increased by 500 items totaling 3,700. Currently, the supermarket chain works with more than 100 Moldovan producers, one-third of which supply fresh vegetables and fruits. In the future, the bulk of these products will go through consolidators such as trading companies and agricultural cooperatives.

www.east-fruit.com

USDA Russia: Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual Report

Written by

Apples are one of the most popular and affordable fruits in Russia and with domestic production forecast to decline, imports will rebound in the 2020/2021 MY. Many commercial pear growers are replanting their orchards to apples to take advantage of this growing demand. Russia is the second-largest importer of pears and a major importer of table grapes as local production for these two fresh fruits is insufficient to meet demand. However, imports of pears and table grapes are expected to decline as the economic crisis continues and consumer purchasing power declines.

Since 2014, Russia’s countersanctions have banned fresh apple imports from Europe and the United States. This coupled with extensive support from the Government of Russia for the care and planting of new orchards has propelled investment in horticulture in recent years. In 2019, the Government of Russia financed a 311 billion Ruble (US$ 4.2 billion) support program for Russian agriculture.

Despite all this, several factors continue to constrain the development of Russia’s horticultural sector. First and foremost, Russia’s horticultural industry still lacks productive plant material. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that in 2018 Russia produced around 24 million plants (including 15 million seed fruit plants). At the same time, Russia imported 25 million plants in 2018 and 21 million plants during the first six months of 2019. Very few nursery farms cultivate planting material for commercial orchards, and as a result, the quality of the planting material in Russia remains inadequate in terms of yields, winter resistance, and drought and disease tolerance.

As the ruble continues to weaken, Russian horticultural producers continue to face very high costs for importing planting stock, and other related items for cultivation, such as crop protection agents, technology, and equipment. A lack of qualified agronomists is another factor holding back the industry.

The current Russian trend of eating healthy has led to greater fruit consumption. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, more people are paying attention to their health and eating patterns are increasingly favoring natural, healthier foods. According to analysts, the demand for vegetables and fruits increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the consumption of fruit is closely connected with household income and market prices. Russian disposable income has been declining since 2014, although there was some growth in 2018 and 2019, it is expected to drop again. In 2020, the decline in disposable income is forecast at 3 percent, according to the Ministry of Economic Development.

Full USDA report, containing information on the Russian harvest, import and consumption of apples, pear and grapes.

Republic of Georgia: Fruit and Nut Exports Soaring

Written by

According to the National Statistics Service of Georgia (Geostat), the volume of exports of fruits and nuts from Georgia amounted to $69.68 million in value, from January through August 2020. The share of fruits and nuts in Georgia’s total exports for the reported period amounted to 3.4%.

The major part of exports accounted for hazelnuts – $28.30 million, peaches, including nectarines – $20.07 million, tangerines – $3.84 million, blueberries and other berries – $3.79 million, bananas – $2.28 million, oranges – $1.82 million, apples – $1.63 million, lemons – $1.15 million and figs – $950,000.

Compared to the same period last year, the export of fruits increased by 45.2%. In the first six months of 2019, the volume of exports of fruits and nuts amounted to $29.19 million. Their share in the total volume of Georgian exports was 1.6%.

Georgia exported 19,86 mt of apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, and sloes to Russia in a total amount of $19.3 million from January through September 2020.

From January through September 2020, the foreign trade turnover between Georgia and Russia exceeded $934.6 million, which comprises 11.5% of the total trade turnover of Georgia.

During the reporting period, Georgia exported products worth $308.6 million to the Russian market, which is 12.8% of total exports.

www.freshplaza.com