Although the numbers seem low, the current Ukrainian apple season is actually an average one if you compare it to the seasons after the war started, says Volodymyr Gurzhiy of Ukrainian apple exporter USPA Fruit: "In the 2024/2025 season, Ukraine exported 16,800 tons of apples worth approximately $10 million. While this is a relatively modest figure and a significant share of production remains for domestic consumption, these volumes currently represent the scale of Ukraine's apple exports. Key destinations remain broadly stable: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Turkey (largely for re-export to Iraq and Central Asia), Sweden, and, to a lesser extent, Malaysia. The geography is wide, but the volumes shipped to each market are relatively small."
Ukraine is also looking at new markets to export its apples to, specifically in countries where the domestic crop has been disappointing, Gurzhiy explains. "Potential export destinations in the coming months include Turkey, which experienced a poor harvest and may absorb a significant share domestically, though re-exports will likely continue as usual. Syria has become more active, Iraq remains a potential market, and demand may also come from Central Asia and the Caucasus."
© USPA Fruit
A look at January 2026, the latest month for which complete statistics are available, provides a clear snapshot of how volumes and revenues have changed over recent years, Gurzhiy says: "In 2024, revenue increased despite the same volume as 2023 due to higher prices. In 2026, the volume represents nearly half of the current season's total so far. Compared with 2022, exports have declined significantly. However, a direct comparison without considering market structure can be misleading. January 2022 was the last full pre-war month, and a large share of exports at that time went to Belarus. If those shipments are excluded, only about 2,700 tons were delivered to other markets, roughly the same scale Ukraine has maintained since the full-scale war began."
According to Gurzhiy, India appears to offer an opportunity. "Several shipments have already been sent to India under a temporary phytosanitary protocol. However, sustained presence in that market requires a series of successful deliveries and a stable supply base. This year, even the available quota has not been filled due to a shortage of export-grade apples. Demand exists, but the question is whether supply can match it consistently. Ukraine's historic export record, 98,000 tons in 2010, remains far out of reach."
Gurzhiy states that the war in the Middle East has dramatically altered export routes for apples: "Containers originally bound for Persian Gulf countries are now being widely diverted to Jeddah, while logistics costs have nearly doubled. The situation in the Middle East apple export market is changing almost daily. Supply chains have been repeatedly disrupted in recent years by the war in Ukraine, the global pandemic, the Evergreen blockage of the Suez Canal, and attacks near the Red Sea. Logistics are now being reconfigured in real time: new routes, different destination ports, and rapid decisions about cargo already in transit."
© USPA Fruit
The economics of supplying the Gulf are changing dramatically, Gurzhiy emphasizes. "Previously, a container shipped to Kuwait would cost about $7,000 in logistics. Today, exporters are reluctant to send cargo through the Strait of Hormuz, so containers are often discharged in Jeddah and transported overland. The change of port alone costs around $550, or roughly $1,000 including port charges. Added to this is the higher ocean freight, around $4,000, and roughly $3,000 for trucking from Jeddah to Kuwait."
"As a result, the logistics cost of a container has risen to about $15,000, compared with around $7,000 previously. This does not yet include likely demurrage and monitoring fees, as containers must be returned to Jeddah. To put this into perspective: the average value of apples in a container is around $25,000, of which about $7,000 previously covered freight. The additional logistics costs now approach the value of the cargo itself. Shipping lines have also stopped accepting new bookings for the time being," Gurzhiy concludes.
For more information:
Volodymyr Gurzhiy
USPA Food LLC
Tel: +380 50 925 57 32
Email: [email protected]
www.uspafood.com
