First shipments of Ukrainian apples to Dubai hailed a success

The Ukrsadprom Association for Ukrainian fruit and berry producers, has been actively presenting and promoting Ukrainian products, with stands at major events such as Fruit Logistica in Berlin and Hong Kong as well as Galfood in Dubai in 2017-2018.

It was during these events that the first cooperation of fruit producers called AUSP Fruit, had the opportunity to signal strategic markets and communicate closely with potential international partners.

"Opening up new markets is a simple task, but a very important matter because we must not only acquaint potential consumers with the advantages of our products, but also assure them of the purity of our products. The quality of the fruits have already been confirmed by British and Swedish laboratories, ensuring that Ukrainian producers will be able to fulfill their contractual obligations," assures Volodymyr Gurzhiy, an expert on export markets for AUSP Fruit.

The experience gained by Ukrainian companies, helped them enter the UAE market by securing a contract with a local company from Dubai.

"The fresh Gala apples, a 2017 crop, sold in accordance with the mandatory requirements for the quality of the product: the firmness of the apples, which should correspond to at least 7 kg / cm2, the color of the fruits - not less than 70% of coloration, also the manufacturer had to use certain post-harvest technologies to extend the shelf life of fruits. The buyer requested to get apples in cardboard boxes such as bushels, net weight 18 kg," said Gurzhiy.

AUSP Fruit has developed its own packaging design to promote a unified brand of Ukrainian apples. A total of 125 tons (8 containers) was shipped between December 2017 and January 2018, with an average shipping time by sea of 27 days.

"There were no complaints under the contract, and the buyer has already ordered a large batch of apples for the next season," confirms Gurzhiy.

According to the information received from the Association "Ukrsadprom", this was the first supply of apples from Ukraine to the UAE in this volume.

AUSP Fruit is now busy contracting fruits and berries for the 2018 season, after a lot of interest from international traders. Suppliers plan to increase trade volumes up to 20 thousand tons in the 2018-2019 season.

"The technologies we are using in post-harvest, along with quality apple packaging, will preserve the high quality of the apples for 60 days of shipping by sea."

Volodymyr Gurzhiy