Tomato

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.

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Russia’s Greenhouse Vegetable Production Grows by 24%

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According to the operational data of the regional agro-industrial complex management bodies, as of June 10, 2020, 604,600 MT of vegetables were harvested in winter greenhouses, which is 24% more than in the same period of 2019 (487,500 MT). Out of that, greenhouse cucumbers account for 406,200 MT (+22.5%) and tomatoes for 188,000 MT (+26.9%).

Traditionally, the Lipetsk, Moscow, Volgograd, Kaluga, Stavropol, and Krasnodar regions are leaders in the protected cultivation of vegetables.

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture is systematically working to improve state support and regulations for the agricultural market in order to increase the country’s agricultural production, meet its domestic needs, and develop its export potential.

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Turkey to Resume Tomato Exports to Russia

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On March 7, after a month-long disruption due to the yearly quota limit, Turkish tomato exports to Russia have resumed. Moscow decided to lift the yearly quote from 150,000 MT to 200,000 MT after some containers carrying Turkish tomatoes were returned last month, saying that the quotas were already met.

“We exported 98,000 MT of tomatoes to Russia in 2019. Turkish exporters can send 50,000 MT [of tomatoes] in a couple of months. Thus, we want the quote to be removed completely,” said Hayrettin Uçak, chairman of the Aegean Union of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters.

Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan and Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli are in talks with their Russian counterparts to lift the quotes in bilateral trade and they expect the trade diplomacy to bear fruits in the upcoming months, said Uçak.

Turkey’s tomato exports to Russia increased 181% in 2019, bringing the country a total of $74.5 million.

In January 2016, after Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet violating its airspace, Russia banned imports of Turkish fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, oranges, apples, apricots, cabbage, broccoli, mandarins, pears, peaches, cucumbers, plums, strawberries, onions, cloves, and poultry.

Russia relaxed these trade sanctions during the summer of 2017.

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Russia Proposes Raising Turkish Tomato Import Quota by 50,000 MT

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January 31, Russia’s Agriculture Ministry proposed increasing Turkey’s tomato import quota by 50,000 MT to 200,000 MT, the RIA news agency reported.

Russia lifted a ban on vegetable imports from Turkey in November 2017 but set quotas as tensions between the two countries eased after Ankara apologized for downing a Russian military jet.

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Turkish Tomato Exports to Russia on Rise, Totaling $86 Million in 2019

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Turkey’s tomato exports to the Russian Federation saw a 186% increase in 2019, compared with the previous year, reaching $86.05 million in value.

According to the Southeastern Anatolia Exporters’ Association (GAİB), the country’s overall tomato exports totaled around $304.5 million in 2019, with exports to 56 countries around the world recorded at $291.8 million in 2018.

Russia ranked first among countries to which Turkish exporters sent tomatoes, with a total of $86.05 million in revenue, increasing from $30.6 million in 2018. Romania and Ukraine followed with export volumes worth $36.4 million and $30.01 million, respectively.

Greenhouse Investors and Producers Association (SERA-BİR) and GAP Greenhouse Gardeners Association Chairman Müslüm Yanmaz told Anadolu Agency that 2019 saw a decline in crop volume due to seasonal conditions, which did not reflect negatively on exports.

Yanmaz said that exporters sought to bring the tomato export volume to the levels prior to a diplomatic row between Ankara and Moscow after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft that violated Turkish airspace in March 2015.

In January 2016, Russia banned imports of Turkish fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, oranges, apples, apricots, cabbage, broccoli, mandarins, pears, peaches, cucumbers, plums, strawberries, onions, cloves and poultry.

However, in the summer of 2017, Moscow relaxed trade sanctions placed on the country.

Official data demonstrated that Turkey’s fresh tomato exports in 2014 were valued at $426 million while $275 million of this amount came from exports to Russia, which signifies that Russia alone constituted 65% of Turkey’s fresh tomato exports.

Yanmaz noted that exporters were actively in search of other new markets, including China.

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Azerbaijan: 99.7% of Tomato Exports Go to Russia

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In January-March 2019, Azerbaijan exported 21,371 MT of tomatoes in the amount of $25.5 million. Compared to the same period in 2018, exports in quantitative terms increased by 7.7%, in value terms – by 6.1%.

The main importer of Azerbaijani tomatoes is Russia. In the first quarter of 2019, 21,303 MT of products were sent to the Russian market, which amounted to 99.7% of total exports, worth $ 25.4 million. Compared with January-March 2018, exports of tomatoes to Russia increased by 7.8% in quantitative terms and 6.3% in terms of value.

It is specified that for the whole 2018 Azerbaijan exported 172,000 MT of tomatoes for the sum of $177.4 million. The main importer of Azerbaijani tomatoes in 2018 was also Russia, which imported 170,000 MT of tomatoes for the sum of $176.3 million

From January to March 2019, exports of Azerbaijani apples to the Russian Federation amounted to 27,500 MT (+ 34.9%) in the amount of $11.3 million (+ 27.5%). The total exports of this type of fruit from Azerbaijan amounted to 29,300 MT worth $12.2 million. Compared to the same period in 2018, exports of apples from Azerbaijan increased by 41.5%, and in money terms – by 35.7% .

For the entire period of 2018, Azerbaijan exported 90,000 MT of apples for $38.4 million. Of these, 82,400 MT of apples worth $ 34.5 million were exported to Russia.

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Russia’s Annual Greenhouse Tomato Production Reached 380,000 MT

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In the 2017-2018 campaign, Russia’s average production of greenhouse tomatoes amounted to 380,000 MT. The statistics have been provided by researchers of the marketing agency ROIF Expert in the report “Greenhouse Tomatoes in Russia: Maximizing Production”.

It is worth noting that the share of greenhouse tomatoes in the market has reached 45%. The main market trend has been the sharp growth in the share of tomatoes against the background of a reduction in the share of cucumbers. The gross tomato harvest in 2017-2018 grew by almost 25%, while the production of greenhouse cucumbers by only 0.2%.

According to a ROIF Expert, the most negative aspects affecting the development of greenhouse tomato production in Russia until 2023 will be the depreciation of fixed assets, the high capital costs for the construction of new greenhouse complexes, the increased competition between Russian and foreign suppliers in the vegetable market, or the pressure from federal retailers. Many will also be affected by infrastructure or logistics problems.

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Uzbekistan: Exports of Tomatoes to Russia Tripled

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Russia increased imports of tomatoes from Uzbekistan in the first half of 2018. Imports of tomatoes increased to about 410,000 MT; 17% more than in the same period of 2017.

At the same time, Uzbekistan increased the export of fresh tomatoes to Russia by three times during the reporting period.

For the first six months of 2018, as many as 14,500 MT of Uzbek tomatoes reached the Russian market. This amount accounts for about 3.5% of total imports of these products to the country. A year earlier, Uzbekistan’s share in the supply of tomatoes to the Russian market in the first half of the year was 1.3%.

According to East-Fruit analysts, the main advantage of Uzbekistan is the opportunity to supply inexpensive tomatoes from unheated greenhouses covered with film already in May, when the prices for tomatoes in Russia are still very high.

Azernews.az reports how at this time, there is a local tomato from heated greenhouses, as well as greenhouse products from Turkey, Iran, Morocco and Armenia in the Russian market.

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Russia Lifts Sanctions on All Turkish Tomato Exporters

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Russia has lifted sanctions on Turkish tomato exporters, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on April 27, citing Turkey’s Economy Ministry. Russia’s decision will completely pave the way for Turkey’s tomato export to Russia, the ministry said in a statement.

The move came after a meeting held between officials from the Turkish Economy Ministry and Russian Agricultural Ministry on April 26, the statement said.

It recalled that a limited number of Turkish tomato exporters were allowed by the Russian Agricultural Ministry to sell products to Russia. That nation had also imposed a 50,000-ton quota on imported tomatoes from Turkey in October 2017.

In January 2016, after Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet violating its airspace, Russia banned imports of Turkish fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, oranges, apples, apricots, cabbage, broccoli, mandarins, pears, peaches, cucumbers, plums, strawberries, onions, cloves, and poultry.

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Turkish export figures of fruits and veg to Russia first quarter of 2018

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Turkey has exported 74,119 MTof mandarin to Russia in the first quarter of 2018 and generated a revenue of $42.3 million USD in return.

East Black Sea Region Exporters Association President Ahmet Hamdi Gurdogan: “In order to develop the trade relations between two countries, it is imperative to lift the restrictions and form strategic partnerships. This is the only way two countries can full fill its potential in trade relations.”

According to the released figures, the exports of mandarin increased 31 % in volume and 36% in value compared to the first quarter of 2017. Mandarin is followed by lemon with 50,375 MT, oranges with 32,325 MT and apples with 22,625 MT.

From the East Black Sea Region in the same period, 51,196 MT of fruits and vegetables are exported to Russia generating a revenue of $30.8 million. 21,401 MT of these exports were mandarins which accounted for $12.2 million in trade.

President Ahmet Hamdi Gurdogan: ”The numbers display a 91% increase in exports of fruits and vegetables to Russia compared to last year’s first quarter. The rise in revenue is actually even higher at 112%. Turkey exports fruits and vegetables to Russia mostly and it has become the primary for Turkish fruits and vegetables. It is a huge market and we are trying to improve our share in this market even more. That’s why we select our best products for exports and Russian consumers started to prefer specifically Turkish products.

Most of the restrictions imposed by Russia which were put in place in 2016 due to political crisis between two countries, have already been lifted. However there are still some remaining restrictions regarding tomato exports where only certain firms are granted permission to export tomatoes. This creates unfair competitive environment for our growers and we would like this restriction to be removed as well. This way more Turkish growers will be able to export their tomatoes to Russia and Russian consumers will be able to access the products at a better price.

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