Ukraine and Moldova could export cherries to Italy in 2021

According to the Italian fruit associations, the harvest of stone fruit in Italy will be at an all-time low this year. According to EastFruit experts, Italian traders are now even interested in cherries from Uzbekistan, realizing that a big shortage on the Italian market might occur.

According to preliminary estimates, Italy will lose around a third of the harvest this season. This means that Italy could have the necessity to import more than 50 thousand tons of cherries, compared to the usual 10-14 thousand tons, according to EastFruit.

Turkish cherry exporters, who lost the access to the important Chinese cherry market, are likely to benefit the most from the situation. In addition, Turkey continues to increase the volume of cherries production, which means it will look forward to new opportunities in Italy.

On the other hand, it is most likely that there will be fewer tourists than usual this summer in Italy. Although, it is also possible that there will be more of them compared to 2020. Tourists come to the country after cherries from Turkey run out, thus, this can also be an opportunity for exporters of cherries from Eastern Europe, primarily from Moldova and Ukraine.

To supply cherries to Italy, you must have at least hydro-cooling equipment for cherries. Equipment for optical sorting, modified atmosphere bags (MAP) and experience in packaging and logistics under EU requirements are also preferrable. It is also highly desirable that the exporter has full traceability of the origin of the goods, and that producers have GlobalGAP certification.

We remind you that you can find suppliers of  hydro-cooling systems, packaging and other technologies on our open technological platform EF Technology, and suppliers and buyers of cherries can be found on the largest trading platform for fruits and vegetables EF Trade Platform.