Romania will probably continue to expand its cherry exports to Russia this year. According to media reports from Bucharest, 3,000 tonnes of cherries from the 2014 harvest will be shipped to Russia; 1,000 more than last year, reports the German website Fruchthandel.de.
Experts from Russian trading companies were said to visit several Romanian cherry growing areas to assess their production and marketing conditions. Over the past year, Romanian cherries shipped to Russia reached prices of between 2 and 4.30 Euro per kg. Because of this year's good weather conditions, Romanian cherry growers will be able to start the harvest in late May, around ten days earlier than usual.
According to estimates, the yield could be between 10 and 15% higher than in 2013. It is expected that growers will receive stable prices, starting at approximately 2 Euro per kilo and dropping to around 1.30 Euro at the peak of the harvest period. Romania's cherry acreage has remained stable over the past three years, with approximately 7,000 hectares. In 2013, the country grew approximately 30,000 tonnes of cherries. Russia, with global cherry imports of between 60,000 and 80,000 tonnes per year, is the world's largest cherry importer.
