EU: 45% increase in frozen raspberry imports
Eurostat data shows that, in the first seven months of the 2015/2016 campaign, frozen raspberry im…Eurostat data shows that, in the first seven months of the 2015/2016 campaign, frozen raspberry imports to the EU amounted to 89.4 thousand tonnes, which is a 45% increase. The biggest non-EU supplier of frozen raspberries was Serbia, with a volume of 67.7 thousand tonnes, about 32% more than last year. High domestic demand and low supply in Poland led to rising imports from countries such as China and Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports Mr Mariusz Dziwulski, expert agricultural market analyst at BGZ BNP Paribas.
"The volume of imports from China increased to 6.5 thousand tonnes, while imports from Bosnia grew by 58% to 5.1 thousand tonnes. It is worth noting that one of the major suppliers of frozen raspberries to the EU was Mexico, from which 1.1 thousand tonnes were imported, almost five times more than last year. Such trends were indicative of the search for a cheaper alternative to expensive frozen raspberries in the European Union, explains Mr Dziwulski.
Looking at the forthcoming season, prospects point to a recovery of the domestic supply, especially in Poland. "In 2015, the Polish raspberry harvest was about 30% lower due to the impact of drought. A return to the levels reached two years ago would be reflected in lower prices for the frozen product on the EU market," explains the expert BGZ BNP Paribas.
He adds that an important aspect which will have an impact on the market and prices will be Serbia's production, as this country is the EU's largest supplier of frozen raspberries. According to information published by Foodnews, the adverse weather conditions this year may have an impact on the harvest, but to what extent it is still unknown.
"The prices of frozen raspberries on the European market in the first and second quarter of this year have systematically recorded declines. It is possible that, to some extent, these have been caused by the prospect of the coming harvest in Serbia and Poland. Foodnews data shows that the average price of Polish raspberries in mid-May reached 2.50 Euro/kg and was about 15-17% lower than at the beginning of this year," concludes Mariusz Dziwulski.