Ukrainian producers able to export apples to India

The Ukrainian association of gardening and small fruit growing, Ukrsadprom, says the country's gardeners are able to export apples to India if the established biosecurity standards are met.

"As a result of joint work of the association, Ukraine's State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service, the Ukrainian Economic Development and Trade Ministry, and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, which was supported by a record number of lawmakers from the Verkhovna Rada Agrarian Committee, the phytosanitary authorities of the Republic of India have decided to green-light shipments of Ukrainian apples to their market," Ukrsadprom's press service said in a statement on October 5.

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According to the association, Ukrainian producers can already supply apples of the 2018 harvest to India, subject to the established phytosanitary standards. The Indian side has defined the special conditions for the supply of Ukrainian apples to ensure proper biosecurity control. In particular, special temperature conditions, such as storage of apples at a temperature of 0°C for 13 days before their shipment, which should be indicated in a phytosanitary certificate.

Ukrsadprom says India can completely replace the Russian market, which was a key sales market for Ukrainian apples before 2014. In addition, entering the Indian market will make producers hone their production and storage technology, which was not required for the Russian market, as transportation to India takes about a month.

At the same time, this will lead to the development of maritime logistics of fruit exports from Ukraine and will significantly boost trade between the two countries, given the volume of exports and significantly higher prices of Ukrainian apples as compared to grain crops exported to India, Ukrsadprom said.

As reported UNIAN earlier, in September 2017, a Ukrainian trade mission led by the then Deputy Minister of Ukraine for Economic Development and Trade and Trade Envoy Nataliya Mykolska began its work in India to increase bilateral trade, let Ukrainian food enter the Indian market and Ukrainian businesses participate in Indian infrastructure and energy projects.

The parties agreed to create an ad hoc group on agricultural issues within a joint intergovernmental commission.

In 2017, India was among the top five leading importers of Ukrainian agricultural products, its imports were estimated at $2 billion.