Market News

Morocco remains the biggest blueberry exporter to Russia

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Russia has increased its imports of blueberries by 61% (value) between January and June 2020. In fact, they reached 4.200 mt worth 30,5 million dollars. For the Russian Federation, Morocco is at №1 in the ranking of the main supplier countries of these fruits.

The Russians spent $13,7 million on Moroccan blueberries. They imported 1.900 mt of these blueberries from the Kingdom, 36,4% more than a year earlier. Chile, which occupies the second place in the ranking of suppliers, has more than doubled its shipments of “blueberries” to Russia, up to 1.000 mt.

Blueberriesconsulting.com explains this means, Morocco and Chile account for almost 80% of all imports of this agricultural product in Russia. The third and fourth largest exporters of blueberries to Russia are occupied by Peru and Serbia. In fact, these two countries increased their exports of this fruit to Russia by 75% and 95%, respectively.

www.freshplaza.com

Euro rises above 90 rubles first time since February 2016

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The euro rose by 0.98%, reaching 90.1 rubles on the Moscow Exchange on Monday.

The last time the euro was above 90 rubles in February 2016.

As of 13:15 Moscow time, the euro rate was at around 89.97 rubles (+0.83%), and the dollar rate grew by 0.92% to 76.13 rubles.

At the same time, the price of November futures contract for Brent crude oil on London’s ICE decreased by 1.78% to $41.9 per barrel. WTI crude was trading at $39.39 per barrel (-1.89%).

www.tass.com

The Ministry of Agriculture expects an increase in apple harvest within 10 years

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The Ministry of Agriculture expects an increase in apple harvest within 10 years. In the next five years, the total apple harvest in the country will double, said the first deputy head of the department, Dzhambulat Khatuov.

“Today we consume 3.5 million MT of apple, we produce just over 1 million MT. The existing ambitions suggest that in the next five years we will double the volume of production. <…> And this dynamics, as we see it, will last at least 10 years “, – said Khatuov.

He explained that, among other things, modern technologies that are being introduced by farmers make it possible to increase production volumes: they create new apple orchards using new technologies, most of them based on the principles of intensive gardening.

“The most important thing is the state support measures. <…> The south of the country is Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, Kabardino Balkaria, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Crimea, Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk are the main players that are growing in production volumes,” the deputy minister added.

www.tass.ru

X5 Opens New Logistics Facility in Tatarstan

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X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer that operates the Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, and Karusel retail chains, announces the expansion of its logistics infrastructure in the Volga region and the opening of a Pyaterochka distribution centre (DC) in the Republic of Tatarstan.

With a total floor area of 18,000 sq m, the Yelabuga DC features four storage zones for fresh products, fruits and vegetables, dry goods and alcoholic beverages. Each zone has a specific temperature band that is best suited to keep relevant products fresh.

Once it reaches design capacity, the new DC will supply food products to 600 Pyaterochka stores in 300 localities across the Republics of Tatarstan and Udmurtia. The logistics facility is expected to process 1,500 tonnes of goods per day, with its seamless operation supported by more than 250 employees and some 100 vehicles. Overall, Pyaterochka has generated over 10,700 jobs in the Republic of Tatarstan.

The launch of the new DC will enable Volga region food producers not only to reduce their transportation costs, but also to expand the geography of their sales. At full capacity, the logistics facility will be able to handle about 500 suppliers, further increasing the share of Tatarstan producers in the chain’s regional sales beyond the current level of over 30%. Today, Pyaterochka retail chain works with 88 local suppliers, of which 18 were added to the supplier list in 2019.

The Yelabuga DC is the second advanced logistics facility opened by Pyaterochka in the Republic of Tatarstan. In November 2019, the Kazan DC was opened in Zelenodolsk, bringing the total floor area of Pyaterochka’s warehouse facilities in the region to over 57,000 sq m. Today, the Republic of Tatarstan has more than 700 Pyaterochkas, including 24 stores that opened this year.

The opening ceremony was attended by Alexey Pesoshin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Sergei Goncharov, General Director of Pyaterochka, and executives of suppliers from the Volga Federal District invited by X5.

www.x5.ru/en

Russia: Online Purchases Tripled

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According to a study by Russian Standard Bank, in H1 of 2020, the number of Russian online purchases has tripled compared to the same period last year.

“The first six months of this year showed that Russians easily replaced traditional shopping in stores with online shopping. An analysis of transactions with cards of all banks in the Internet acquiring network of Russian Standard Bank showed that their number, compared to the same period in 2019, increased three times, and the total turnover – 2.3 times. At the same time, the total average check for online purchases decreased by 22% and amounted to 1,673 rubles,” the bank’s representatives said.

Most often, Russians made purchases in clothing stores (the average check was 2,273 rubles) and in supermarkets (the average check was 2,267 rubles). After the quarantine restrictions were lifted, spending on online shopping began to grow again. In June, the average check increased by 8% compared to April and returned to the numbers of January 2020.

www.retail.ru

Berry Production in Russia Is Forecast to Decrease This Year

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As of August 4, the production of commercial berries in Russia amounted to 10,800 MT, which is 35% more than in the same period of 2019 (8,000 MT), reports the Ministry of Agriculture. Kabardino-Balkaria, Altai Territory, Oryol, Moscow, Lipetsk Regions, and Krasnodar Territory are the leading regions in terms of gross harvest.

However, industry analysts believe that this year’s overall harvest of the berries will be lower than in 2018. According to the company “Technologies of Growth”, the production will amount to 18,000 MT, compared to 18,700 MT a year before. According to the forecasts of the Berry Union, the berry harvest this year will be about 20% lower than in 2019.

The Southern District was affected by frosts and hail, so the gross harvest of strawberries in the Krasnodar Territory decreased compared to last year harvest. Rains also affected the quality and quantity of the crops. Due to the restrictions imposed during the coronavirus crisis, most berry producers dealt with a shortage of seasonal workers as they could not enter Russia from the neighboring countries. Many farms had difficulties with the sales and shipments of their products.

www.freshplaza.com

Russian Central Bank: Russia’s Further Economic Recovery Can Be Unstable

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Russia’s further gradual economic recovery may be unstable amid restrained consumer behavior, the Central Bank said in its report on monetary policy.

According to the Bank of Russia, further gradual economic recovery can be unsustainable due to the decline in income, restrained consumer behavior, cautious business sentiments, as well as restrictions on the part of external demand.

“Taking into account these factors, according to our forecast, GDP will decline by 4.5-5.5% this year,” the regulator said.

Earlier, head of the regulator Elvira Nabiullina noted that after a pandemic of a new coronavirus infection the Russian economy could recover in more than 1.5 years. At the same time, the regulator does not yet see the need for additional measures to support the economy. The Central Bank expects that the revival of the national economy will not “fizzle out” in the fourth quarter and the recovery will continue.

www.tass.com

Euro Reaches 88 Rubles First Time from March 30

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The euro added 1.56% and climbed to 88 rubles during the trading session on the Moscow Exchange on Friday, according to trading data.

The euro was at such level last time on March 30 of this year.

The euro decelerated later on to the increase by 1.13% and was traded at 87.63 rubles. The dollar rose by 1.6% to 74.34 rubles at the same time.

Brent oil futures prices with settlement in October 2020 dropped by 0492% to $43.04 a barrel on the London-based ICE today. The WTI oil was traded at $39.76 a barrel, down 0.4%.

www.tass.com

Russia Strengthens Controls over Tomato and Pepper Imports

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From July 20, the Rosselkhoznadzor has strengthened its controls over imported tomatoes and peppers. The shipments arriving in Russia will undergo additional laboratory tests, as stated by Nikolai Vlasov, deputy head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, to the National Fruit and Vegetable Union.

The letter from the Rosselkhoznadzor says that this is mostly being done to prevent the entry of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus and the tomato spotted wilt virus. The All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center has already analyzed the phytosanitary risk of these viruses and processed their inclusion in the Unified List of Quarantine Objects of the EAEU.

The initiative to strengthen controls over imported vegetables came from the National Fruit and Vegetable Union. In June, the Union sent a letter to the head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, Sergei Dankvert, in which it asked to reduce the risk of importing some of the most dangerous tomato diseases into Russia. The letter said that the virus can infect tomatoes and peppers, causing reductions in fruit size, delays in the ripening, a loss of natural color, and deterioration in the product quality.

In Russia, cases of the virus have not yet been officially registered, but they could arrive in infected vegetables from other countries. Detections have already been reported in China, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, or Spain.

www.freshplaza.com

 

Fruit Import to Russia Decreased in Volume Term, but Grew in Value in Q1 2020

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In Q1 2020, Russia imported 1.5 mln MT of fresh and dried fruit (-2.7% year-on-year), worth $1.3 bn (+8.4%).

Fresh and dried fruits were shipped to Russia in the first quarter of 2020 from 64 countries. The main exporting countries were Ecuador, Turkey, and Egypt.

Imports from Ecuador in January-March 2020 amounted to 428,300 MT of fresh and dried fruits, 2.5% more than during the same period last year. In value terms, import increased by 2.6% to $317.7 mln. Bananas accounted for almost the entire volume.

Import from Turkey increased by 50.3% up to 256,400 MT and by 61.6% to $201.4 mln with citrus fruits prevailing.

Import of fresh and dried fruits from Egypt amounted to 177,000 MT (-4.3%), worth $118.7 mn (+6.6%). More than 90% of the supplies were citrus fruits.

Fresh and dried bananas accounted for the largest share of imports amounting to 438.7 mln MT (+2.8%), worth $326.3 mln (+3.1%). Ecuador was the main bananas exporting country accounting for almost 100% of all Russia’s banana imports, both in volume and value terms.

The import of apples declined by 2.2% down in volume terms to 239,600 MT, but increased by 26% up to $153.8 mln in value terms. The largest apple exporters were Serbia and Moldova.

Import of oranges amounted to 189,700 MT (-0.7%), worth $ 121.4 mln (+12.3%) mostly coming from Egypt and Turkey.

The largest exporters of mandarins to Russia in the first quarter of 2020 were Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt. During the reporting period, 167,600 MT of mandarins (+6.5%), worth $121.2 mln (+7.9%) was imported.

Lemons and limes imports accounted for 56,700 MT (-2.6%), worth $51 mln (+19.7%). The main exporter was Turkey.

Import of fresh and dried grapes increased by 0.6% up to 50,100 MT in volume terms and by 7% up to $79.7 mln in value terms. The largest volumes came from India, Moldova, Peru and South Africa.

Pears import amounted to 45,100 MT, 33% less than during the same period in 2019. In value terms, pears import supplies increased by 7.5% to make $43.1 mln. Most of the volume came from Argentina, South Africa, and Turkey.

 

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