Russian demand for fresh fruit is expected to continue to increase for the foreseeable future, with greater consumption and awareness of the importance of healthy eating driving demand.
This was one of the findings of a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, which found that as demand for fruit increased in the country, there was likely to be a “concomitant rise” in imports, adding that the market was “far from being saturated”.
According to the USDA, Russia is heavily dependent on imported fruits, with overseas-sourced products accounting for 75 per cent of the country’s 7.3m tonnes fruit market in 2010, with only 500,000 tonnes produced domestically.
Efficient commercial production of fruits in Russia was limited by the climate, as well as a “lack of affordable capital” for orchard replanting, new cultivation and storage technologies, the report found.
As a result, Russia was “expected to remain heavily dependent on imports of fruits and berries for the foreseeable future”.
“Consumption of fruits is increasing in Russia, and this is driving import growth,” said the report’s authors.
“Consumers are eating more fruit and diversifying the types of fruit they consume due to increasing disposable incomes and a trend towards more healthy diets.”
Fruit imports to Russia have grown from 3,8m tonnes in 2005 to 5.8m tonnes in 2011, during which time their value almost tripled to US$5.5bn. Between 2010 and 2011 alone, imports rose in value terms by 20 per cent and in volume by 8 per cent.
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