Things are also made worse by currency problems, as both Russian roubles and Ukrainian hryvnias have lost much of their value.
The situation looks critical, as it depends on the dynamics of the entire Eastern-Europe/Russian area. In 2013, Russia had already started buying fruit from Moldavia rather than from Poland, therefore proving that Russia is changing its suppliers.
All of this, combined with the recent tension between EU and Russia and with the risk of a sudden closing of the borders, looks worrying, as large quantities of Polish apples (this main European producer) could soon invade the European market.
An Italian operator confirms that he has recently been contacted by many Polish exporters looking for business opportunities. "Polish apples are sold at such low prices that Italian produce cannot compete. We should be worried about the Russian market closing too. Those who talk about retaliation against Russia in case it closes its borders, such as for example freezing Russian accounts in Europe, do not realise that importers pay for our goods from those accounts and therefore, by doing so, they would block our payments."
All of this, combined with the recent tension between EU and Russia and with the risk of a sudden closing of the borders, looks worrying, as large quantities of Polish apples (this main European producer) could soon invade the European market.
