The new raspberry season in Eastern Europe has just started but is already making headlines. Farmers are shocked by low prices, call for boycotts of freezing factories, import bans and for the government help, and share angry comments in social media.
The raspberry price cycle, which EastFruit wrote about in the spring of this year, has reached its bottom almost everywhere, as many market players think. However, we think that it quite possible, and even likely, that this bottom has not yet been reached. It is impossible to predict the future exactly, which is why the EastFruit international team has collected facts on the key raspberry countries of the region: Serbia, Poland, Ukraine, and Moldova, so that everyone can draw their own conclusions.
Serbia
Serbia is a long-term leader of global frozen raspberry exporters. In the recent years, competition from Ukraine and Morocco has somewhat weakened the position of Serbia, but it is here that prices are formed, primarily for premium quality frozen raspberries.
Presently in Serbia the highest level of procurement prices for raspberries is observed although it has started the season earlier than other countries reviewed. Raspberries for freezing in Serbia are now purchased at prices starting at $1.40/kg, which is 3.5 times cheaper on average than the prices paid to farmers in 2022. Even though Serbia does have the highest price on the market, it still raises a great level of dissatisfaction among farmers.
The situation in the Serbian raspberry industry is difficult indeed. Stocks of last year’s frozen raspberries remain significant. In 2022 the raspberry harvest in Serbia was higher than in 2021 but the exports through April 2023 were 25 thousand tons less. It is very easy to calculate what how much more frozen raspberry is still unsold compared to the previous season. On the one hand, market participants believe that it is the Serbian freezers that hold the most high-quality stocks of raspberries from 2022, but, on the other hand, they also paid much more for raw materials than Ukrainian freezers.
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