Russian Fruit Market

Chilean Kiwi gains ground in Russian market

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According to Chile’s agricultural attaché in Russia, Pablo Barahona, Chilean kiwifruit is gaining importance in the country, and is very well-regarded by the importers. However, Chile has a great task as an industry, which is to improve the perception of the product. “Russia became our main market destination in Europe after Britain. Currently we are, in the Russian market, one of the leading suppliers in different products and therefore it is a very interesting niche.”

Pablo Barahona said, they are studying the feasibility of finding ways of collaboration between Russian and Chilean producers. Last month they began to work in the town of Sochi on the shores of the Black Sea and have already had the first harvest, with fruits of average size of 80 grams, reaching production expectations.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

X5 Retail Group may start direct import of fruit and vegetables

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As per RBK daily, Russian largest retail operator is considering a possibility of direct fruit and vegetables import, excluding distributors from the supply chain. The appropriate decision may be made within the next few months. X5’s main rivals – Magnit and Dixi – have been importing fruit and vegetables independantly for more than a year. The share of fruit and vegetables in the total revenue of a retail chain may reach 12%.

X5 may start direct import of fruit and vegetables in a few months after the company has finished the calculations. Traditional suppliers are Turkey, Africa, South America and Europe.

Source: www.retail.ru

Imported fruits and vegetables still preferred by Russian retailers

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Notwithstanding solid overproduction of vegetables in Russia, retailers still prefer to purchase imported produce. This information is regularly reported to Fruit-Inform by Russian producers, who try to come to an agreement with supermarkets about supply of their produce.

The quality of local fruits and vegetables leaves much to be desired. Even taking into account its lower prices, domestic produce often cannot compete with graded, washed and packed imported fruits and vegetables.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

South African grapes struggle to reach Russian market

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Export Company Pomona Fruit SA has been offering grapes into the Russian market from the first week of November. However it is clear that the Russian market is extremely nervous with regards to the high levels offered by the South Africa and Namibian exporters in general, and penetrating this market segment is also a frustrating procedure.

The Russian market is still well supplied by Peruvian, Brazilian & Californian products, and for an importer to make the mental leap from the lower selling prices in a sluggish market to having to commit to the high levels from South Africa and Namibia is tedious and in most cases very risky.

After a tumultuous citrus season where many Russian importers and exporters were both hit hard by the adverse market conditions, all parties seem to have taken a back seat in confirming orders. At the moment the Russian market is not buying considerable volumes from South Africa, and most likely this trend is set to stay for some time.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

Russia to cut duty on apple and pear imports

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RUSSIA will reduce import duties on apples and pears by nearly half after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), and then cut them in half again by 2017. The import duty on pears will be reduced by half by 2015, according to Interfax, citing a document outlining Russia’s obligations upon accession to the WTO.

The current duty on apples imported from 1 January to 30 June is EUR0.10 pr kilo. Once Russia joins the WTO, which is expected to happen by the middle of 2012, the duty will drop to six euro cents/kg and by 2017 it is scheduled to decrease to three cents/kg (and to one and a half cents for apples imported from 1 April to 30 July). The duty on apple imports from 1 August to 31 December is currently EUR0.20/kg, depending on the type of product, and this will drop to six euro cents and then three euro cents per kilo by 2017.

Source: www.agra-net.com, www.interfax.com

Potential ban on Tajik fruit and vegetables will not cause deficit

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Russian Phytosanitary Monitoring Service is seriously concerned by systematic damage of Russian and international phytosanitary requirements by fruit and vegetable exporters from Tajikistan. Rosselkhoznadzor applied to Phytosanitary Inspection of Tajikistan Ministry of Agriculture against such violations.

However, the share of Tajikistan in the structure of Russian fruit and vegetables import is not big enough to threaten the market. In 2010 it was only 1.8% and 2.1% of fruit and vegetables import respectively.

Russia’s total fruit import in 2010 reached USD 5.49 bln. Import from Tajikistan amounted to USD 99.02 mln. Vegetables import reached USD 2.28 bln, from Tajikistan – USD 48.8 mln.

Source: www.fruitnews.ru

Ukrainian apples not competitive in Russia

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Russian importers do not want to work with Ukrainian apples due to their high prices. Ukrainian apples are offered averagely at EUR 0.70-0.75/kg in Russia . At the same time, sufficient quantities of Serbian and Moldovan apples of comparable quality are offered at EUR 0.60-0.65/kg in the Russian market. Large wholesale lots of high-quality apples from Poland are sold at the same prices. In addition, every year, a high import duty on the EU apples currently in force in Russia is reduced 2 times on January 1 that traditionally increases the pressure on prices.

In Ukraine, current prices for apples are 15-20% higher year-on-year. Ukrainian farmers plan to start their sales of high-quality apples only since the mid-December. Those farms that are selling apples from storage offer their produce at prices not lower than EUR 0.59-0.68/kg and report of the stable demand in the internal market in the event of such prices. Apples not suitable for storage are offered at last year’s prices: EUR 0.27-0.45/kg.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

Russia gets fruity as largest importer of apples and pears

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USDA announced that Russia became the world’s number one importer of apples and pears in the 2010 marketing year, a trend that is likely to continue throughout 2011, as the country trends towards healthy eating. This year, the USDA estimates the fruit hungry nation could import as much as 1.11 million metric tons and 412,000 tons of apples and pears respectively. Despite the magnitude of the country, Russia still depends heavily on imports because it only produces one-third of the fruit it consumes. “Russians are eating more fruit and diversifying the types of fruit they consume due to increasing disposable incomes and a trend toward eating more healthy diets,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its Moscow attaché.

Still, the amount of fruit Russians consume remains much lower than their counterparts in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China. According to the USDA, the typical Russian person consumes only 71 kg of fruit per capita/year while an American would eat 122.5kg per capita/year. But with Russians already consuming 10% more fruit last year, growth rates are certainly alarming. Fruit consumption patterns in Russia vary depending on the part of the country. In smaller cities or rural areas, people tend to eat local produce while city dwellers in Moscow or St. Petersburg eat higher quantities of imported fruit.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

Demand drives Russian fruit imports up

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In June-July 2010, Russia became the largest importer of apples and pears in the world with a combined total import volume of 1,521,600 MT. Fruit consumption in Russia is going up, reaching 71 kg per person in 2010. This trend is likely to continue, supported by a trend toward healthy diets in Russia. Russia produces only 30% of the fruit it consumes and therefore relies heavily on imports.

In June-July  2011,  Russian imports of apples and pears are expected to go up slightly and reach 1,115,000 metric tons (MT) and 412,000 MT, respectively. The grape import forecast is around 403,000 MT, slightly lower the 2010 level. The long-term prospects for U.S. apple, pear and grape exports is good given that Russian production is not expected to increase significantly. In the short term, U.S. exports could face challenges based on price because of the weakening of the Ruble since September.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

Russian import of peaches and nectarines has doubled during the last 5 years

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According to the report of MCX USA/USDA, dedicated to the world stone fruit market, Russian import of peaches and nectarines has doubled during the last 5 years.

During the season 2011/12 the world production of stone fruit will reach 18.1 million tons, that is 10% more than in the last season. Leaders of the production are China, EU, USA. The same countries consume and convert the biggest volumes.

Because of the increasing supplies from the EU to Russia, world export of peaches and nectarines will grow 4% and reach 587 thousand tons.

Source: www.fruitnews.ru