Ukraine

Posted on by

Ukraine berries market under spotlight at conference

Berries and grapes together account for half the total value of all fruit sold in Ukraine, according to statistics presented to delegates from Ukraine and European countries at the Berries of Ukraine 2015 6th International Conference, organised by APK-Inform: Vegetables & Fruits project.

Berries and grapes together account for half the total value of all fruit sold in Ukraine, according to statistics presented to delegates from Ukraine and European countries at the Berries of Ukraine 2015 6th International Conference, organised by APK-Inform: Vegetables & Fruits project.

The conference was held in May in Kiev and hosted 160 agrarians who heard the presentations of professionals concerning the challenges and benefits of the berries sector.

It is possible strawberry exports from Ukraine will be at record level this season, said Tatiana Getman, head of the project. Last year, the country exported 300 tons, and this year the amount may reach 1,000 tons.

Last season, cherries and sour cherries topped the exports. However, this year, with the embargo imposed on Ukrainian fruit, problems with exports may arise, Russia being the top buyer of Ukrainian products.

Growing demand for niche berries

At the same time, the demand for berries at the local market keeps growing, and the number of farmers willing to grow them increases faster than the interest in any other crop. Therefore it is essential to choose the right strategy from the very beginning, said Oleg Bosyi, international expert in the sector.

He recommended starting to grow traditional berries, such as strawberry and raspberry. As for experienced produces, they are interested in offering niche berries as well. Blueberry, bramble and honeysuckle are niche berries chosen by more and more consumers.

Gooseberries.jpg

Gooseberries
(Image by neurovelho via Wikimedia Commons)

The demand for cranberry and for gooseberry keeps growing too, the latter being one of the most prospective niche berry, believes Alexander Yarechshenko, science PhD from the Horticultural Institute. It is a pity gooseberry is wrongly forgotten by the farmers, he said. There are currently 600 ha of gooseberry in Ukraine, only 1/3 of them being cultivated commercially. At the same time, demand keeps growing, and gooseberry production has many advantages: the use of the plantation is 15-20 years, and harvesting may be done by machines.

Low Ukraine grape consumption

Meanwhile, Ukrainian table grape producers are less optimistic. Per capita grape consumption in Ukraine remains very low – 1.1 kg against the 12 kg recommended by European health organisations. The reasons are high prices, poor production conditions and lack of modern cold store facilities.

Optimal crop protection among other topics covered

The berries conference program also addressed export potential, the current situation of the frozen berries market, and discussion of new sales channels. The delegates attended master-classes by leading Ukrainian and foreign experts who explained how to choose optimal crop protection and optimal approaches to business barriers in Ukraine in general.

NB
 

The 6th International Conference Berries of Ukraine-2015: Frozen Produce & Fresh Market

Gooseberries: Image by neurovelho (own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by

Ukrainian retailer ATB retains its lead

Despite the difficulties, ATB Market maintains its volume of sales at last year’s level

Despite the difficulties, ATB Market maintains its volume of sales at last year’s level.

At the moment, the company imports 50% of its foreign fruit and vegetables directly and buys the rest through Ukrainian importers. “We import a lot from Spain: stone fruit, persimmon, lemons, tomatoes, etc. We are generally satisfied with the quality of Spanish products,” said produce buyer Svetlana Hosalova. The main competitor for Spanish citrus fruit is Turkey. “In season, we order 700-1,000 pallets of citrus fruit from Turkey at least twice a week.”

ATB Corporation carries out several activities, a major one being the development and marketing of the largest discounter retail chain of food supermarkets, ATB Market. The history of ATB began in 1993 with the opening of 6 grocery shops in Dnepropetrovsk (the second largest city in Ukraine and the country’s industrial capital). Since then, the company has seen the highest rate of development in Ukraine, and in April 2015 the number of stores exceeded 750 shops in some 170 cities and towns in 16 regions.

The retailer’s competitive advantage is in its prices, which are 10-15% lower than average, but quality is also an important issue. To offer the best prices and control quality, the company has private label production in various categories. Their assortment now covers more than 600 items.

ATB chains also run a social programme to ensure minimal prices for the main social product groups. Price reduction is part of a longterm programme with the company’s suppliers. Thanks to the effort of the management and staff, the retailer has won numerous prizes in different competitions and is ranked highly in a lot of research work.

To ensure the freshness of its products, ATB Market owns one of the largest logistics infrastructures, including 16 distribution centres and 300 trucks. Daily turnover of the company’s DC exceeds 4,000 t. The company provides jobs for over 31,000 employees and helps most of them improve their professional education and skills.

This article originally appeared on page 20 of issue 137 of Eurofresh Distribution magazine. Click here to read more highlights from that edition.

ATB as in 137.png

 

Posted on by

Preferential registration fees for Ukraine’s leading berry conference

Screenshot 2015-04-09 at 18

“Berries of Ukraine – 2015: Frozen Produce & Fresh Market”

  • Preferential registration fees for Ukraine’s leading berry conference in effect till Monday April 13
  • The conference will be on May 21-22 (a sessional part in Rus Hotel, Kiev, on the 1st day and a business-tour to Agrofirma Vesna-2011, one of the leading berry farms in Kiev Region, on the 2nd one).

This 6th International Conference will focus on the following questions:
– The Ukrainian berry production and price forecast for 2015
– Imports’ influence on the Ukrainian market and export potential of Ukrainian fresh and frozen berries
– Berry production technologies in Ukraine: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, honeysuckles, currants, blackberries, cherries, grapes
– Agrichemistry support for berry production
– Berry growing in different climatic zones in Ukraine (open ground and under cover)
– Production potential of everbearing berry varieties
– Investments in the berry business: most attractive positions
– The Ukrainian market for deep frozen berries: present situation and development prospects
– Modern handling, packaging and processing technologies for berries in Ukraine
– Key sales channels for fresh and frozen berries: supermarkets, wholesale markets, processing, export

The business-tour to Agrofirma Vesna-2011 will focus on:
– plantations under summer and everbearing strawberries (open-ground and under cover), black, red, white currants; summer and everbearing raspberries; blueberries;
– machinery used during berry growing;
– berry harvesting process;
– post-harvest cooling of berries;
– berry packaging, different packaging types.

Why to attend:
– Obtain exclusive market information about real market situation and outlook, which can’t be found in the official statistics
– Meet in person the largest growers of berries, cherries and table grapes from Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Russia
– Meet leading processors of berries from these countries
– Excellent promotional and advertising options for suppliers of inputs, equipment, plants, agrichemistry, technologies

Key conference audience: growers of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, blueberries, table grapes, sweet and sour cherries as well as processors of those products account for more than a half of the delegates.

The event, organized by Fruit-Inform and sponsored by Syngenta, will be attended by more than 150 participants – from 8-10 countries – with more than a half of them to be represented by producers of fresh and frozen berries.

Find out how to join the sector leader at:
www.fruit-inform.com/en/conferences/berry2015/about
email: fruit.intl@fruit-inform.com

Posted on by

7th international conference ‘Potatoes & Vegetables of Ukraine-2015′

125h125_en

 

To be held February 27 at KyivExpoPlaza in Kiev, Ukraine, the International Conference ‘Potatoes & Vegetables of Ukraine’ is one of the leading fruit and vegetable events in Eastern Europe. It is also the only event gathering  all leading growers of potatoes and traditional vegetables (onions, white cabbage, carrots, table beets) in Ukraine, as well as a large number of foreign experts.

The conference is traditionally held in Kiev on February 27. as will be the case this year, when it will take place in conjunction with Storage Expo: Fruits & Vegetables and Industrial Cold exhibitions, held February 25-27.

Domestic and foreign speakers will give presentations on all key issues of the potato and vegetable businesses.

The conference is co-organized by Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers.
 

Key conference subjects:

– The fundamental Ukrainian potato and vegetable production and price forecast for the 2015/16 season;

– The situation in the market for early produce;

– Foreign trade in potatoes and traditional vegetables: potential, new directions, price prospects;

– Potato and vegetable business under current economic conditions: investment attractiveness and possible niches;

– Modern seed growing trends in the sector;

– Foreign experts’ technological master-classes on produce growing;

– The potato and vegetable processing sector prospects;

– Modern approaches to potato and vegetable handling and storage;

– Efficient produce marketing and promotion in the market;

– Another meeting of Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers.

Organizational moments:

– Special conditions of participation offered for exhibitors of Storage Expo: Fruits & Vegetables and Industrial Cold exhibitions

– Discounts for participation for those registered before February 1

– Applications to be accepted until February 23

– A discount of 30% on the study ‘Fruit & Vegetable market of Ukraine-2015. Results and Forecasts for the Next Season’.
 

Forecasts for next season

The organisers will also offer a variety of advertising and sponsorship options as relevant under current market conditions as possible.

For more information about the event, preliminary program, conditions of participation and application form visit www.fruit-inform.com or contact Mr Ievgen Kuzin tel: +380 (562) 321595, ext. – 341 cell: +380 96 5836323

email: fruit.intl@fruit-inform.com.

 
Posted on by

Registration starts for Fruits & Vegetables of Ukraine-2014 Conference

fruitinformlog

Registration starts for Fruits & Vegetables of Ukraine-2014 Conference

Leading fruit and vegetable conference and trade forum in Ukraine expecting visitors from more than 15 countries
 

Fruit-Inform has opened registration for the 11th annual international conference Fruits & Vegetables of Ukraine-2014.

Taking place December 8-10 at the Rus Hotel, in the centre of Kiev, Ukraine, it is organised in conjunction with the 4th International Trade Forum (December 10), which is recognised as the most professional meeting place for fruit and vegetable suppliers and purchasers in Ukraine.

Fito-Mag is the general sponsor of the conference, highlights of which will include the presentation of the preliminary production, price and trade outlook for Ukraine for the 2015/16 season.

 

The conference and trade forum will involve more than 300 fruit and vegetable professionals from 15-18 countries, including many fruit and vegetable growers, processing enterprises, retail and wholesale trade representatives, and suppliers of seeds and plants, inputs, equipment and machinery.

More than 30 retail chains and wholesale companies will be involved in the international trade forum, promoting direct negotiations between fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers from Ukraine and many other countries.

 

There is also the possibility of presenting products and services at the B2B exposition Fruits & Vegetables of Ukraine-2014 with a total floor area of 165 sq m. This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase products of fruit and vegetable growers, suppliers of storage, handling solutions, agrichemistry, machinery, irrigation systems, packaging, seeds, plants and other inputs for the fruit and vegetable business.

More information can be found at: www.fruit-inform.com.