According to Andriy Yarmak, while speaking at this year's Global Blueberry Congress in Rotterdam, "The Russian ban forced producers to modernise in order to enter the global market, which has been a great push for the industry. Before, they were able to grow their product and just send it to Russia, without the need for cold storage and little regard to quality, because the Russian market took everything. Growers started to see the importance in niche products and a good supply chain with modern cold stores. We see now that some of the former Ukrainian fruit pickers in Poland have come back to Ukraine with the knowledge they learned they and are putting their efforts towards the local economy."
Andriy Yarmak from UN FAO.
Despite there being a lot of focus on blueberries from Ukraine, Andriy reminded visitors of the great potential for Ukrainian raspberries, noting that the country is the third largest exporter in Europe, after Serbia and Poland. Although this past season wasn't without difficulties, there is a lot of potential for export growth in Europe and Asia. Organic production is also on the horizon, with the first organic exports to commence next year.
Andriy shared that The Ukrainian Horticultural Association is promoting our agriculture for export in three stages. The program commenced with apples last year, followed by soft fruit and cherries this coming season, with the last phase being Ukrainian honey and other agricultural products.
"Although we are seeing additional growth in exports for products like fresh berries, with exports expected to reach 40,000 tons by 2020, there are still challenges which need to be addressed. There are still a lot of newcomers who lack experience, there are too many raspberry varieties, lack of freezing and storage, lack of labour (with costs often around the same amount as Poland), along with lack of promotion. However, once these issues are ironed out, we have an estimated 1 million hectares suitable for production, so there is a lot of potential for growth," said Andriy.
Panalists during the presentation Understanding Ukraine, (from left to right) Taras Bashtannyk, Andrii Borysenko and Andriy Yarmak.
During the panel discussion 'Understanding Ukraine-New Potential in Eastern Europe', Taras Bashtannyk from U-Berry said the the Ukrainian climate offers a lot of opportunities for blueberry growth, "There is a large difference in the climatic conditions across Ukraine, so once the growers find the right varieties for their climates, it could be possible to help fill seasonal gaps."
When asked about if there were fears from blueberry growers about Brexit, Andrii Borysenko from Betec voiced that it wasn't too concerning, "There is so much demand for blueberries, and consumption continues to grow, so even though Brexit might cause more requirements, the UK market will continue to be a good one."
"Some people have voiced concerns about Brexit, but it's such a mature market with high demand for blueberries, that I am sure that they will come up with a solution. There is so much consumer knowledge in that market that they even sell the blueberries by variety," Taras added.