According to EastFruit analysts, by the end of calendar 2023, Ukraine will remain among 10 largest suppliers of fresh blueberries to the UK market. UK market is extremely important as according to EastFruit this country is by far the largest market for blueberries and has the highest per capita consumption of these berries.
In total, Ukraine exported 390 tons of fresh blueberries to the United Kingdom, which is 11% more than a year earlier. For Ukraine the UK has become the fifth largest market, after Poland, the Netherlands, Georgia (read Russia) and Germany.
“The UK is not yet a priority market for blueberries for exporters from Ukraine, because shipments to this country require significant volumes and regularity of deliveries over a maximum period. To enter this market, Ukrainian producers and exporters need to consolidate efforts, unify varieties, growing technologies, post-harvest handling, and packaging. Also, to access this market, one must spend significant resources on additional certification, which also makes sense only in the case of large trade volumes. However, the advantages in this market are significant as well – prices for blueberries paid by buyers in the UK are usually higher than on the other European markets. Therefore, in the coming years, the UK will inevitably become an increasingly important market for Ukrainian blueberry exporters, as I expect production and export volumes to grow,” says Andriy Yarmak, economist of the Investment Centre of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
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The UK’s largest supplier of blueberries in the first 10 months of 2023 was Morocco. However, by the end of the year, Peru will most likely regain the first position in the ranking, despite the decline in blueberry production and exports in the current season. The top five suppliers also include Spain and Poland. It should be noted that part of the blueberries exported to the Ukraine from Poland could have been grown in Ukraine. Ukraine exported around 1.1 thousand tons of fresh blueberries to Poland in 2023 and Poland was the main market for these berries from Ukraine.
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