Apples

Serbia increased the shipments of the apples to the Russian market almost by 6 times

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According to industry experts, Serbia has increased the shipments of the apples to the Russian market almost by 6 times since the beginning of the season.

According to the Russian Federal Statistics Service, in the first two months of the season 2014/15 Serbia shipped to Russia more than 8,000 tons of apple, while during July-August 2013, the shipment of apples from Serbia to Russia amounted to 1,400 tons.

According to the experts, Serbia managed to increase supplies to the Russian market mostly due to the Russian food ban as a substitute for apples from Poland and Moldova. The experts do not exclude that Serbia has a chance to become one of the main suppliers of apple on the Russian market provided that the ban will continue.

www.freshmarket.ru

Russian growers start new apple campaign

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Apple growers from Krasnodar Krai, Russia, have started harvesting early apples this week. The start of the season was almost similar to last year’s date. Geneva Early variety accounts for the largest share in sales now.

First volumes of early apples are offered at RUB 30-45/kg (EUR 0.62-0.93/kg), an increase of 14% compared with the same period of the previous season.

Growers say that harvesting activities are complicated by rains. Thus the supply is significantly lower year-on-year, and prices have gone up compared with last year.

www.fruit-inform.com

Belgorod Oblast to produce 1 mln tons of apples a year

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The Russian region of Belgorod is expected to produce one million tonnes of apples per year; a third of the Russian demand for this fruit. The head of Belgorod Oblast’s Department of Agriculture, Stanislav Aleynik, pointed out that last year, according to the Federal Customs Service, Russia imported $ 6.2 billion worth of fruits and berries, 40% of which could have been grown in Russia.

“After joining the WTO in 2012, customs tariffs have significantly fallen, so the volume of apple imports increased,” said Stanislav Aleynik. “Thus, Russian buyers are investing more than 500 million Euro in the development of foreign economies.”

According to officials, this is due to lack of domestic product in the market, but the situation can change. In the Belgorod region, the gross apple harvest last year reached 47,000 tonnes. More than half of the large companies have expanded and the average yield has improved with the growth of intensive orchards, where it is possible to grow 40 tonnes of apples per hectare.

Stanislav Aleynik noted that, in the future, depending on the number of trees planted per hectare, there will be three planting schemes, each needing a different investment and generating different levels of revenue. With the maximum density (2.5 thousand apple trees per hectare), the cost would be of 2.9 million Roubles, but within three years, when the trees begin to provide a stable yield, the net profit would be of 785 thousand Roubles per hectare.

However, the head of the Russian Association of Growers and CEO of a large Belgorod company, Victor Gorodov, noted that the main issue would be where to get so much quality planting material. According to Stanislav Aleynik, to achieve Belgorod’s goals the region would need an additional 27 million seedlings, and a lot of money.

However, Victor also believes that agriculture in Russia is easier than ever, as the technology has already been implemented. Besides, if we talk about the Belgorod region, the unique soils allow local fruit producers to compete with Western growers.

www.fruit-inform.com

Russia: wide apple price range in Moscow

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The apple price range was rather wide in Moscow on May 23: 0.61-1.37 euro/kg, depending on variety and country of origin.

Polish apples traditionally were the least expensive. Wholesale companies offered those apples at 0.65-0.87 euro/kg with the demand for them being moderate.

Apples of Spanish, French, Chilean and South African origin were offered as a premium category at 1.17-1.37 euro/kg.

It should be noted that prices of imported apples were significantly higher last year: 0.81-1.77 euro/kg. A year-on-year decrease in apple prices is connected with rather low demand for apples in the global market now.

www.fruit-inform.com

Russian growers do not plan to raise apple prices until end of season

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The majority of Russian apple farms have already reported of the finish of the season with the rest offering remaining volumes.

In view of that, growers do not plan to revise apple prices to sell their stocks as soon as possible as the quality of apples is sharply decreasing now.

For the present, apple prices in Russia still vary between RUB 22-27/kg (EUR 0.41-0.51/kg), depending on variety. Price levels in the same period of the previous season were similar to current ones.

www.fruit-inform.com

US: Apple holdings down 3%

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About 48 million bushels of U.S.-grown fresh-market apples had yet to be shipped as of April 1, 3% less than last year at the same time.

The April total was, however, 8% higher than the five-year average, according to the April Market News report from the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.

Washington accounted for 41.7 million bushels of the U.S. total, Michigan 2.8 million bushels and New York 2.5 million bushels.

Holdings of red delicious, galas, golden delicious and fujis were down from last year.

Red delicious holdings fell from 20 million to 17.5 million bushels; galas from 7.1 million to 6.7 million bushels; golden delicious from 6.1 million to 5.4 million bushels; and fujis from 7.4 million to 4.6 million bushels.

Granny smith holdings increased from 5.3 million to 7 million bushels and Pink Lady from 1.33 million to 1.38 million bushels.

www.thepacker.com

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

Russian apple prices lower year-on-year

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The Russian apple market participants say about stagnation in the sector.

For the present, many apple growers have already finished their season. Still selling farmers do not revise prices in view of stably low demand for apples and often low quality of offered produce.

As a result, growers’ apple prices vary between RUB 15-30/kg (EUR 0.27-0.55/kg), depending on quality and production region. It should be reminded that in the mid-March 2013 domestic apples were offered at RUB 0.31/kg and higher.

As regards imported apples, the demand for them also remains extremely low, and prices are still stable.

www.fruit-inform.com

Apple holdings down 3%

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About 61.5 million bushels of U.S. fresh market apples had yet to be shipped as of March 1, 3% less than last year at the same time.

The March 1 total is, however, 6% above the 5-year average of 58.2 million bushels, according to the March Market News report from the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.

Washington accounted for 53.1 million bushels of the U.S. total still in storage on March 1. Michigan had 3.9 million bushels, New York 3.3 million bushels and Pennsylvania 762,000 bushels.

Volumes of red delicious, galas, fujis, golden delicious and Pink Lady were down from last year.

Red delicious holdings fell from 23.9 million to 21.2 million bushels; galas from 9.6 million to 9.3 million bushels; fujis from 9.9 million to 6 million bushels; golden delicious from 7.4 million to 6.5 million bushels; and Pink Lady from 1.95 million to 1.9 million bushels.

Volumes of granny smiths increased, from 6.6 million to 8.5 million bushels.

www.thepacker.com

Russia reduces apple imports

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Russia’s imports of apples are still significantly lower compared with the previous season, according to Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation.

In particular, Russian importers purchased just 109,000 tons of apples in January 2014, a decrease of 28% year-on-year. Russia’s cumulative imports over the first 7 months of the current season fell by 15% compared with the same period of the previous season and totaled 575,000 tons.

Such a sharp decrease in apple imports is connected with lower shipments from Poland, which has reduced exports to Russia by 30% since the beginning of the season 2013/14, and rather moderate demand for apples in the Russian Federation.

www.fruit-inform.com