Ukraine may see record high exports of fruit and berries in 2019

Ukraine may see record high exports of fruit and berries in 2019 due to a high yield.

"Exports of berries from Ukraine significantly exceed imports due to favorable weather conditions for berry crops and a saturated domestic market. This is explained by the fact that most of Ukrainian berries are processed as raw materials, which is beneficial to European importers," the Pro-Consulting company's press service reported, citing consultant of its analytical department Andriy Mokryakov.

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Taking into account berry crop forecasts and a trend in global markets, Ukraine has every chance of export growth to record levels by the end of 2019 that are comparable to those in 2016, he said.

According to Mokryakov, the berries market still sees high demand for the production of strawberries and raspberries. Ukrainian farmers will be able to further increase exports of fruit and berries to the European Union, provided there is no sharp increase in migration, which could lead to the loss of the workforce or a rise in labor costs. It will also depend on weather conditions.

As UNIAN reported earlier, over the six months of this year, Ukraine boosted exports of fruit and berries by 16%, to US$116 million. Ukraine in 2018 increased exports of fruit and berry products by 17%, to US$229 million.