Ukraine raises import of fresh fruits, berries by 11% in H1, 2020
Ukraine in January-June 2020 imported 443,000 tonnes of fresh fruits, berries and nuts for a total value of $ 333 million, which is 11% more in volume and 22.8% in value terms.
According to data on the website of the Ukrainian Horticultural Association, import growth was recorded in almost all commodity items of the fresh fruit and berry group, including fruits and berries, which are traditionally grown in Ukraine.
According to the association, the sharpest increase in foreign supplies was observed in the segment of melons and gourds. In the first six months, Ukraine imported 2,100 tonnes of melons with a total value of $ 2 million. For comparison, from January to June 2019, the indicators were 700 tonnes for $ 600,000.
"The main reason for the increase in imports this season was the reduction in the supply of local watermelons and early varieties of melons. Due to low temperatures in early May, Ukrainian farmers were forced to start sowing early varieties of melons with delay. And those farmers who nevertheless risked sowing watermelons and melons, despite low temperatures, either lost part of the harvest or received uneven seedlings, as a result of which the products were also delivered unevenly to the market. Accordingly, for the entire first half of the summer, most of the supply on the market was made up of products from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan," the association explained.
A significant rise in imports was recorded in another segment, which is traditional for Ukrainian fruit and berry producers. For the six months of 2020, Ukraine increased purchases of apples and pears, the import of which exceeded $ 10.5 million in the reporting period. A year earlier, the import of these fruits in value terms amounted to $ 7.1 million. At the same time, in natural terms, foreign supplies of apples and pears to Ukraine, on the contrary, fell by 10%.
