According to analysts Eastfruit , the shortage of frozen raspberries continues to grow in Europe. Currently, buyers from France, Germany, Poland and other EU countries are actively looking for suppliers of these products outside the region.

As stocks of high-quality raspberries in Ukraine are unusually low and Poland continues to block the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through its territory, the main eyes of buyers are turning to suppliers in Serbia and Morocco. Importers are also interested in purchasing frozen raspberries from Chile, Mexico and even China.

Since February 2024, prices for these berries have increased by another 20-30 euro cents per kg and many do not rule out a further increase in the near future, as there is still a long time before the new harvest.

“Since raspberry prices were at an extremely low level for more than a year and their supply was enormous, food manufacturers began to include this berry in their recipes. More juices, yogurts, baked goods, confectionery and other food products with raspberries have returned to the shelves. As a rule, food manufacturers make these decisions at the end of the financial year, which is why already in January 2024 we saw a strong resurgence in demand for raspberries. Consequently, in the coming season, Ukrainian raspberry growers will most likely be able to “expect to receive significantly higher prices for their berries,” he says. Andriy Yarmak, economist at the Investment Center of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) .

He also points out that a possible restriction on imports of raspberries from Ukraine to Poland will only benefit Ukraine, despite many believing otherwise. “Poland took most of the added value from the sale of Ukrainian frozen raspberries. We can say that Ukraine was a kind of raw material appendage for large Polish companies that processed and re-exported Ukrainian raspberries to EU countries, the USA, Canada and Asian countries at a much higher price. This cooperation was mutually beneficial until Ukraine had large volumes of its own raspberries available for export. At this stage, when Ukraine already has about 50 thousand tons of frozen raspberries of its own production for export, local producers could well take the next step on the value-added scale by investing in their own processing, packaging and marketing. This will help them increase the selling price of frozen products and the additional funds obtained will be used to expand raspberry production and further improve marketing.

In fact, Poland is putting pressure on Ukrainian producers and processors to take this step,” he says. Andriy Yarmak.

Let us remember that the cyclical nature of raspberry prices is quite predictable. This phenomenon is described in detail in this article on March 17, 2023 and, as you can see, our forecasts were fully met.

According to EastFruit analysts, investments in raspberry processing and marketing in Ukraine in 2023/24 have increased sharply and reached record levels in recent years, despite Russia's continued military aggression. Together with the increase in prices on the market and the possibility of eliminating the middleman Poland in the export of raspberries, these trends are very positive for Ukrainian farmers who grow this berry.

Andriy Yarmak, economist at the Investment Center of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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