According to EastFruit analysts, Ukraine tripled exports of frozen raspberries to the US during the first half of 2023. This allowed Ukraine to enter the top ten largest suppliers of frozen raspberries in the USA, for the first time. Ukraine actually ranked 8th among largest exporters of frozen raspberries to the US.
In the meanwhile, the traditional leading suppliers: Mexico, Chile and Serbia, slightly reduced the volume of exports to the US, although the gap between these three exporters and other countries remains very significant. For example, Mexico exported 340 times more raspberries to the US market in the first half of 2023 than Ukraine.
“Growing exports of frozen raspberries from Ukraine to the US market represent a very important sign, despite the fact that the volumes remain rather small. After all, if we compare the prices for raspberries paid by US importers in the first half of the year with those paid by importers from EU countries, we can see a huge difference. While prices in the EU fell by an average of two or more times in the recent 12 months, raspberry prices in the US fell by no more than 10-15%. In other words, frozen raspberry importers in the United States are willing to pay a high price for a quality product,” says Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Investment Centre.
Recall that the first reports on the supply of Ukrainian raspberries to the markets of the United States and Canada appeared in 2021. Even then, EastFruit emphasized the prospects of these markets, since almost 80% of all import revenue in the global frozen raspberry international trade comes form the importers in the USA and Canada! At the same time, Ukraine is still fixed on exporting raspberries to Poland, which then re-exports Ukrainian products to the markets of the EU, the UK, USA, and Canada, retaining a significant part of the added value. Moreover, in 2023 there was a trend of further movement down the value added ladder, when Ukraine began to export “frozen raw raspberries” to Poland.
“I believe that if Poland imposes a ban on imports of fresh and frozen raspberries from Ukraine, which is presently being considered by Polish authorities due to farmers’ protests, Ukrainian exporters should focus on the markets of the USA, Canada and Japan. Ukraine, due to its unique soil and climatic conditions, can and should grow raspberries of the highest quality. Relatively minor additional effort that needs to be made in the segment of freezing and sorting frozen raspberries will pay off instantly, because it will open access to the markets with much higher prices. Moreover, Ukraine will also increase exports to the traditional EU markets, because the additional profits received by exporters can be reinvested in increasing the efficiency and expansion of raspberry plantations in the country,” says Andriy Yarmak.
See also: Raspberries of Ukraine: collapse in prices and calls for a boycott of raspberry freezing companies
We should also add that in the first half of 2023, the United States imported 23.5 thousand tons of frozen raspberries – almost 9 thousand tons less than in the same period in 2022 and 3.2 thousand tons less than in the first half of 2021. According to our estimates, low prices for this product in 2023/24 season will once more boost demand for frozen raspberries globally and pave way for further expansion of exports to the US in 2024/25.
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