Berries

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

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

The Ministry of Agriculture will Regulate the Market of Wild Plants

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The Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation received the right to regulate the market of wild plants, according the government decree on the official website.

“The Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation is a federal executive body that carries out functions for the development of state policy and legal regulation in the field of agriculture <…> including the issuance of food products obtained from wild fruits, berries, nuts, mushrooms, seeds and similar forest resources, medicinal and other plants”, according to the draft of the resolution.

The department assured that they did not plan to limit the gathering of wild berries and mushrooms, but to improve the quality and efficiency of market regulation.

www.fruitnews.ru

Harvest of Russian Berries Decreased by 8.7%

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In 2017, the harvest of berries in Russia decreased by 8.7% to 700,000 MT. This was stated in a research piece titled “The Russian market of fresh fruits and berries: complex analysis and forecast” by AnalyticResearchGroup.

It specified that for the last 9 years, the gross yield did not show any significant fluctuations, ranging from 670,000 MT in 2010 to 810,000 MT in 2016. The area of ​​perennial berry plantations in 2017 amounted to 127,500 hectares. In the study, AnalyticResearchGroup noted that compared to 2016, the planting area decreased by 0.6%, returning to the levels of 2015.

The largest volumes of berries were harvested last year in the Krasnodar Territory – 44,640 MT. Also included were the Republic of Tatarstan – 34,270 MT- and the Rostov region – 32,860 MT.

www.freshplaza.com

Finnish businessman develops processing wild berries in Northern Russia

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Finnish businessman Osmo Kolu operates a facility on the Kola Peninsula, in the far northwest of Russia, he is developing gathering and processing wild berries in the region. Kolu says that this initiative, together with the enterprise’s processing capabilities, is a good opportunity in terms of Russia’s strategy to substitute imports with domestic production. The company’s main activities are sorting, processing and freezing berries – cranberries, cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, crowberries.

Some berries, for example, cloudberries, are mostly exported to Scandinavia countries, some, such as blueberries, are sold within Russia.

The company is going to expand its activities in Russia as a part of import substitution program.

www.fruitnews.info, www.ria.ru

Strawberries, currants, raspberries to be grown as a part of the program Berry Valley in Kazakhstan

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In Kazakhstan, one of the Russian regions, the program Berry Valley was developed. Graduates of Kazan State Agrarian University, who participate in this program, have to get a subsidy of 1.5 million rubles (each applicant). The association of farmers of Tatarstan is going to support this initiative. The farmers are going to grow mostly raspberries, currants, strawberries for internal needs of Tatarstan.

www.agrobook.ru

 

 

US cranberry growers look for ways to trim surplus

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Cranberry growers in the United States are battling steep surpluses and declining prices, along with increased competition from Canadian and overseas producers.

To offset the imbalances, the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee, based in Wareham, Mass., is pursuing an “aggressive decision to get very active to create more demand,” according to Scott Soares, the committee’s executive director.

He said the group’s international market development subcommittee is attempting to make inroads in China and Russia, and is conducting investigative work in Brazil and India.

Domestically, the committee is conversing with USDA to generate more federal purchases. USDA’s recent $5 million purchase, while taking 110,00 to 130,000 barrels off the market, falls short of the 500,000 barrels the industry had targeted for the buy.

The United States produced 402,300 tons of cranberries last year, an increase from 385,700 the year previous. Before an expansion that involved replanting and larger bogs to meet anticipated demand that largely did not materialize, the industry produced 327,700 tons in 2007.

Cranberry operations in Wisconsin, which produces the majority of the world’s cranberry crop, have expanded acreage and production in recent years based on demands from Ocean Spray and other processors, which anticipated strong growth in overseas sales of juice and sweetened, dried cranberries. But overseas increases amounted to just 2 percent to 3 percent, while demand in the U.S. market also was bottoming out due to the recession.

U.S. farmers were left with a huge excess of cranberries this fall, after an unanticipated rise in production in Canada. Farmers who don’t belong to the Ocean Spray cooperative have received $22 to $28 per 100 pounds for a fall crop that cost them $25 to $30 per 100 pounds to produce. Some analysts predict those prices could fall to $15 to $18 per 100 pounds if market conditions don’t improve for the 2013 crop.

www.fruitgrowersnews.com

Key segments of Russian fruit and vegetable business in conference presentations on September 17 in Moscow

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The program of the conference “Fruit & Vegetable Business of Russia – 2013” will traditionally include the presentations on all key segments of the Russian fruit and vegetable sector delivered by its leaders.

Russian fruit and vegetable production forecast for the season 2013/14 and price development prospects up to April 2014 will be delivered by Ms. Tetiana Getman, Head of Fruit-Inform.

The subject of the Russian apple market structure changes in the light of the country’s accession to the WTO and expectations from the oncoming season will be covered by the presentation of Mr. Konstantin Shvets, General Director of Fito-Mag.

Mr. Aleskey Krasilnikov, Executive Director of Potato Union of Russia, will present his view of the Russian potato market development as well as key risks connected with the potato business.

The Russian greenhouse sector trends will be included in the presentation of Mrs. Natalya Rogova, General Director of Association of Greenhouses of Russia, who will also speak on the greenhouse business state support system.

The subject of the Russian market for fresh and frozen berries will be covered by the speech of Mr. Aleksandr Samokhvalov, Managing Director of Yagody Karelii, the leading company in the Russian berry market.

This year the conference program will for the first time include the subject of the Russian market for fresh-cut vegetables and leaf vegetables covered by the presentation of Mr. Viktor Semenov, Founder of Belaya Dacha Group of Companies.

Registration of conference participants goes on. For the present, there are more than 50 professionals of the domestic and foreign fruit and vegetable business to have confirmed their participation. Altogether, the conference will be attended by more than 150 delegates from 15-17 countries of the world.

The conference will be held in conjunction with World Food Moscow 2013 Exhibition, Expocentre Fairgrounds, Moscow, September 17.

On September 18, the conference delegates will be able to take part in the business-tour to Belaya Dacha Trading, the company dealing with manufacturing ready-to-eat lettuces and vegetables. Pay your attention that a number of business-tour participants is limited.

Full information about the event (program, participation conditions, advertising and sponsoring opportunities) is available here. To take part in the event, please fill out a registration form.

For more information see www.fruit-inform.com