Ukraine Triples Frozen Raspberry Exports to the USA
According to EastFruit analysts, Ukraine has tripled its exports of frozen raspberries to the US market in the first half of 2023. This achievement marks Ukraine’s entry into the top ten largest exporters of frozen raspberries to the USA, securing the 8th position, despite traditional leaders like Mexico, Chile, and Serbia slightly reducing their export volumes.
Mexico, for example, exported 340 times more raspberries to the US in the first half of 2023 than Ukraine did during the same period. This surge in frozen raspberry exports from Ukraine to the USA, coupled with positive growth trends, is a significant breakthrough, given that the volumes are still relatively small.
Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, notes that even though Ukraine’s volumes are not yet substantial, the positive dynamics are promising. He points out that when comparing raspberry prices between the US and the European Union, the difference is substantial. While prices in the EU have dropped by an average of two or more times, prices in the US have only decreased by 10-15%. This indicates that US raspberry importers are willing to pay a high price for quality products.
It’s worth noting that Ukraine’s journey into the US raspberry market began in 2021, with nearly 80% of the global frozen raspberry import revenue originating from the USA and Canada. Ukraine has traditionally focused on supplying raspberries to Poland, which then re-exports them to the EU, the UK, the USA, and Canada, retaining a significant portion of the added value.
However, in 2023, a trend towards further processing of raspberries has emerged in Ukraine, where the country began exporting “frozen raspberry raw materials” to Poland. Yarmak believes that if Poland decides to ban imports of frozen and fresh raspberries from Ukraine, Ukrainian exporters should focus their attention on the USA, Canada, and Japan.
Ukraine’s unique soil and climate conditions make it capable of producing top-quality raspberries, and the relatively minor additional efforts required for freezing, sorting, and processing could lead to significant returns. Furthermore, the additional income earned by exporters can be reinvested in improving efficiency and expanding raspberry plantations in the country.
In the first half of 2023, the USA imported 23,500 tons of frozen raspberries, nearly 9,000 tons less than during the same period in 2022 and 3,200 tons less than in the first half of 2021.
Source: EastFruit