During a press conference on the export potential of Ukrainian berries, held 19 April, the founders of Kiyevskiy Cooperative, announced that to successfully run a berry business, Ukrainian growers should focus on organic produce.
They consider the production of non-organic berries unprofitable in Ukraine, as to grow them, a Ukrainian grower has to use imported fertilizers, which prices have significantly increased in view of the devaluation of the national currency. In addition, growers are forced to sell their conventional berries only on the domestic market, where the demand is not high. ''Russia purchased a part of Ukrainian berries before the ban on imports. Even after the ban was introduced in 2015, Ukrainian farmers shipped their berries to the Russian Federation through Crimea. However, Russia has toughened its customs control over banned products, and this market is now closed,'' said Ms. Tetiana Getman, Head of Fruit-Inform.
There is demand for Ukrainian berries in the EU, however, this refers only to organic produce (exported as frozen). The demand for organics has been steadily growing in Europe thanks to the increasing focus on healthy living and Ukrainian growers have advantages, which could enable them to become a leading supplier of organics to the EU.
''Rich soils and a favorable climate enable Ukrainians to grow high-quality produce at a relatively low cost. As experience has shown, a business focused on the production of organic berries and their export to the EU shows a profit of up to 200% per annum,'' said Mr. Shubrat.
However, there are a lot of difficulties with exporting fresh berries, so Mr Shubrat suggests they are exported frozen. ''Berries are a very delicate product. In contrast to conventional berries, which shelf life lasts for weeks, organic ones must appear on supermarkets' shelves a day after harvesting. Their shelf life is limited, and quality significantly worsens after transportation.''
According to Ms. Getman, the sale of frozen berries is a common practice for European producers. ''For example, Serbia and Poland, which are the European leaders in raspberry production, sell almost all their harvested volumes as frozen.''
Ukraine has been rapidly increasing its exports of frozen berries, which reached record high 24,000 tons in the first half of the current season, an increase of 56% year-on-year.
