Since mid-July, wholesale prices for blackberries in Moldova have decreased by 5-7 MDL/kg over the week, depending on the quality. By the beginning of August, the average wholesale price stabilized at 35 MDL/kg ($ 1.94/kg). According to the growers, the blackberry sales season started 10-14 days later than last year due to cool and rainy weather. But thanks to the active and almost simultaneous ripening of berries of different varieties, the season will be relatively short and will end at the usual time – in the end of August. Farmers say, there is hope that blackberry prices will not decrease significantly by that time, unlike in previous seasons.

Read also: Apple harvest in Moldova will be significantly higher than last year but the quality is poor

There are several reasons for optimistic forecasts. Firstly, in some areas of northern Moldova, where blackberry production is concentrated, it rained occasionally in the second half of July, which caused unstable harvest and supply of berries to the domestic market. As a result, the range of wholesale prices for blackberries expanded: high-quality dry berries from plantations were sold at 40 MDL/kg, and the price in the wholesale markets of Chisinau sometimes decreased to 30-33 MDL/kg ($ 1.66-1, 83/kg). However, there are few offers to sell berries to intermediaries, especially cheap ones. Small farmers prefer to sell or process their products on their own (into liqueurs).

Secondly, the export of blackberries to the Russian market increased by the end of July. Thirdly, some farmers claim to have received offers from frozen berry producers to purchase blackberries at a high price – almost 1 euro/kg. Blackberries have not been yet supplied for freezing even at this price, but this opportunity might be encouraging for farmers.

In any case, many growers still assess the current season as good. In late July – early August last year, the level of wholesale prices for blackberries was significantly lower – on average 25-30 MDL/kg ($ 1.47-1.76/kg).

Сообщение Blackberry prices in Moldova are falling but producers are still satisfied with the 2021 season появились сначала на EastFruit.

Like other berries, blackberries became available on the Moldovan market this season two weeks later than usual – only at the beginning of July. However, unlike last year, the quality of blackberries was quite high at the beginning of the season – large sweet berries prevailed. This is probably why the starting wholesale price for blackberries was 45-50 MDL/kg ($ 2.76/kg), about 5 MDL/kg higher than last year. A week after the start of the season, the price of blackberries dropped to an average of 40-45 MDL/kg ($ 2.21-2.48/kg) – the level of June-July 2020. This year, according to the pessimistic forecast of berry growers, prices for blackberries will continue to decline. Unfortunately, there are many reasons.

First, the highest price is usually set by exporting traders for early blackberry varieties exported to Russia. This year, because of the late start of the season, the sales period for early ripe blackberries was short – it will soon be over. At the same time, export demand from berry suppliers to the Russian market has been low so far. According to growers, only one batch of about 8 tons of blackberries (Moldovan blackberries are exported by low-tonnage vehicles) was sent to Russia this week from the northern part of Moldova, where the production of blackberries is concentrated. The export wholesale price was relatively high – 50 MDL/kg. But very soon blackberries of mid- and late-ripening varieties will begin to be exported from the country to the Russian market.

Secondly, growers fear that due to the hot weather, blackberries will suffer from. This defect is already starting to appear. Obviously, the decline in product quality will also affect the price.

Thirdly, many berry growers note that effective demand continues to decline in the domestic market. This is an important factor, because, despite the fact that in recent years blackberries have become the third (after strawberries and raspberries) in terms of importance in the berry sector in Moldova, the total area of ​​blackberry plantations exceeds 200 hectares, it is sold mainly on the domestic market.

Blackberry plantations are concentrated in small farms and their area rarely exceeds 1-3 hectares. Blackberry growers, with very few exceptions, do not have any developed post-harvest infrastructure. As a result, the export of berries is more random than systematic. By and large, the “boom” in the establishment of blackberry plantations five to seven years ago took place with the expectation of sales of products on the domestic market in July-August, when labor migrants from the European Union returned to Moldova for summer vacations. However, in the last two or three years, as the sellers note, August has become a period of a decline in sales. Labor migrants do not go home on vacation, but take their families on vacation or leave the country.

Fourth, market players note a surge in demand for frozen raspberries and a drop in demand for blackberries this year. European buyers are ready to buy Moldovan frozen blackberries only in small batches at a price below EUR 1.6/kg. Berry growers consider it inexpedient to sell blackberries for processing at this price. They can only do it at the end of the season.

Сообщение In Moldova, blackberries are becoming cheaper, despite their good quality появились сначала на EastFruit.

Blackberry season starts in Georgia in a few weeks, but early varieties are already available on the market. At this moment demand is high and supply lags behind, so the prices are high for now but in the peak season in July, supply will increase rapidly, and prices will fall. Last season was not easy for Georgian blackberry producers, what should they expect this year? We have discussed current year’s perspectives with the producers.

Only a few producers in Georgia are using the opportunity to sell early blackberries at a higher price and Izolda Kitesashvili is among them. She started the blackberry harvest in May as she produces blackberry in the greenhouse and has early varieties in the open field too. In May she was selling blackberry at the highest price 20 GEL/kg ($5.92), from June prices came down to 15 GEL/kg ($4.9), now, after her orchard in Kakheti suffered from hail and quality deteriorated, the new price is 5 GEL/kg ($1.58). Only a small part of her total production comes from early varieties, the main harvest season in her orchards starts in July.  In total Kitesashvili owns a 2.5 ha blackberry orchard in the Kakheti region.

Other farmers admit that early varieties are attractive in terms of profitability, however, there are two main varieties of blackberries grown in Georgian orchards – Triple Crown and Chester. Harvesting period for both starts in July as they are not among early varieties. As an answer to the question of why farmers did not plant early varieties, they pointed out a lack of information and professional advice on blackberry seedlings suitable for the Georgian climate.

Before the peak season farmers are concerned on finding trade partners in advance, as last year, when harvesting reached the peak, the market was oversupplied, and prices collapsed.

This season farmers will join forces together with the Georgian Berry Growers’ association which currently unites 80 farmers from all berry-producing regions of Georgia. The association is actively involved in negotiations with local fruit processing companies and exporters to help its members sell their berries.

Blackberry producer and one of the founders of the association Eliso Gviniashvili thinks that this year, thanks to the association’s activities, more blackberries will be both sold locally and at export markets – mainly in Russia and the Gulf countries. Association members already had the export experience in Russia and are better informed about required quality and packaging, as well as logistics issues. For the current season the association planned blackberry collection and supply chain in advance. According to Gviniashvili the association has conducted a survey to estimate the current state of Georgia’s berry production. The survey showed that 30 out of 150 raspberry and blackberry producers have already left the market or are not taking care of their orchards anymore. Despite the fact that part of the producers have already left the market Gviniashvili expects that blackberry supply this season will increase. According to her estimates only in Kakheti, there will be at least 170 tons of blackberry this year that is approximately a 70% increase for this region compared to the past season. Factors favoring the increase in production are new orchards and increased yields per hectare due to existing orchards entering the full production stage.

According to EastFruit price monitoring data on 2020 season blackberry prices started at 15 GEL/kg ($4.93) in June and fell to 2 GEL/kg ($0.65) in August.

Сообщение Will exports save Georgian blackberry season this year? появились сначала на EastFruit.

BerryMore Active, the largest berry plantation in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, plans not only to sell blackberries in Ukraine but also to export them abroad. Today, the plantation occupies 20 hectares and has plans to expand to 85 hectares by 2025. Inna Yaremenko, CEO of BerryMore Active, explained these goals in a column for the AgroTimes:

“Considering the potential harvest volumes, we will work not only for the domestic market but also for exports. For exports, you need to have certificates and for the second year in a row, we passed the certification according to the GlobalG.A.P. standard. You should also develop a supply mechanism and have a decent volume. Nobody is interested in three or five tons of berries. Tens and hundreds of tons are needed; stable supplies of high quality. So far, we are just learning how to export.”

Read also: Blackberries in Ukraine are still a niche berry

The head of the company explained their choice of berry for exports as follows: “Blackberries seemed to us an interesting direction because there is less competition here than in the raspberry and blueberry sector. The berry is original and gives a good financial return. I did not come across accurate statistics on the areas under blackberries so everything is approximate but, according to my observations blackberries account for no more than 10% of the total berry crop Ukraine.”

Сообщение Ukrainian berry producer preparing for blackberry exports появились сначала на EastFruit.

The planting of new blackberry plantations in Georgia continues and novice growers are enthusiastic about developing this business despite problems in the production and sale of blackberries, as reported previously by EastFruit.

Within the framework of the state program “Plant the Future,” a blackberry plantation is being established on 22 hectares in Imereti (Western Georgia). The owner’s plans are not limited to just primary production, but to process blackberries and exports to the European market in the future.

Badri Kiladze, the owner of 15 hectares of this blackberry plantation, is busy with planting seedlings on his land. The remaining 7 hectares were laid in support of government funds and funds from German investors.

EastFruit was interested in the owner’s future plans and his views regarding problems in the sector, including blackberry burn and oversupplies.

“The problems existing in the industry are rather typical for Eastern Georgia. I think we will avoid these problems since our plantation is located in the Rioni Valley where the climate is relatively humid and sunburn is unlikely. In addition, due to the proximity of the Rioni River, we do not have the problem of water scarcity. As for the implementation, I think it depends on the quality of the blackberry. In the case of the production of high-quality blackberries, there will be no problems with implementation. Our advantage is also based on the location of the plantation, we expect the harvest a few weeks before the start of the mass collection of blackberries. Our harvest will be at the end of May when the demand for berries is high and supplies are still low,” Mr. Kiladze said.

Read also: Georgian farmer successfully develops berry business thanks to support from EU-funded project

In the future, Badri Kiladze and his partners are planning to create an enterprise for processing blackberries. There is already a building for this enterprise. All that remains is the purchasing of the necessary equipment with the support of the state. The enterprise will be able to produce blackberry concentrate for supplies to Europe. The issue of concentrate production and sales is supervised by a German partner. A detailed business plan for co-financing is being prepared. At what price the blackberry concentrate will be sold is not yet known. On the online trading platform Alibaba.com, for example, the price per litre of blackberry concentrate ranges from $7 to $15. According to Badri Kiladze, the presence of a processing enterprise in the Imereti region is justified since, according to his information, it is planned to plant blackberry plantations in the region with an area of ​​up to 100 hectares.

Consultants from the Plant the Future program were included in the process of planting. The areas for the plantation were studied in advance, an analysis of the local climate and soil was carried out, and access to water was checked. Only after this process was it decided to plant blackberries of the Chester variety. This variety has a high yield. According to Badri Kiladze’s calculations, in the first year, he should receive 2-3 tons per hectare and in subsequent years up to 12 tons per hectare.

Under the Plant the Future program, government co-financing will cover 70% of the cost of blackberry seedlings and 50% of the irrigation system. On the 15 hectares of Badri Kiladze’s land, the share of state co-financing is 180,000 lari ($54,555) and the farmer himself invested 135,000 lari ($40,917).

According to EastFruit monitoring over the past year, the prices of blackberries last year at the first half of June reached 15 lari ($4.50) and in July prices fell to a minimum amounting to 2.5 lari ($0.76). At the end of the season in August, prices jumped to 6 lari. The average price of blackberries for the season was 3.9 lari ($1.18).

Сообщение Western Georgia interested in the commercial production of blackberries появились сначала на EastFruit.

The best of Eastern and Western blackberry genetics collaborated to create varieties Eclipse, Galaxy, and Twilight produced by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Agrotimes writes about this with reference to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The ARS Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, working in collaboration with the Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, has combined the desired traits of the eastern upright blackberry and western blackberry in new varieties with semi-upright thornless shoots.

Eclipse was the first of three of these crosses to go from test fields to final selection.

Triple Crown, one of the parent Eclipse strains known for its high yield, energy, and flavour, ripens in late summer. Eclipse inherits the same strong performance but matures earlier.

“Eclipse has inherited the outstanding Triple Crown flavour with sweet fruity notes and hints of root beer and spices. But the Eclipse strain has a firmer rind, which allows for better handling and transport of the berries, which is a benefit for the fresh market,” said biotechnologist Mary Peterson, who works in the blackberry breeding program.

The second blackberry variety, Galaxy, is also from the Triple Crown and inherits similar traits. However, it has a harder skin like the Eclipse, and it ripens a few days earlier than Eclipse. Galaxy berries are slightly larger and darker than Eclipse berries.

“People who have tried Galaxy notice notes of blueberry, mint, and grape,” said Mary Peterson.

The third variety also has a “heavenly” name – Twilight. It matures as the last of the three varieties, 4-5 days after Eclipse. Twilight plants are taller than Eclipse. Tasters noted its complex, deep blackberry flavour with floral and honey notes, but the berries may not be as sweet.

Сообщение American scientists presented three new varieties of blackberries появились сначала на EastFruit.

Blackberries have certain advantages over raspberries. However, the market for this berry in Ukraine remains underdeveloped.

This opinion was expressed by the Director of Development of the Ukrainian Horticultural Association (UHA), Kateryna Zvereva, in a commentary to Agravery.

“The yield of blackberries is about four times higher than the yield of raspberries at almost the same growing costs, which means that a farmer who decides to grow high-quality varietal berries has a chance to get a high income. At the same time, varietal blackberries are also quite transportable crops,” says Kateryna Zvereva.

She also noted that the blackberries market is growing, but it is still underdeveloped compared to other berries.

“Therefore, if we consider this culture from the point of view of industrial production, then, of course, this line of business can be considered a niche at the moment due to the small number of market players involved in the cultivation of blackberries. However, it is worth noting that as soon as the culture begins to be grown massively, accordingly, it will lose its “niche,” as has already happened, for example, with blueberries,” claims Kateryna Zvereva.

At the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, experts note specific technological difficulties in cultivating blackberries.

“I believe that in the coming years, blackberries will remain a niche crop. This is influenced by several factors, including consumer preferences, a specificity of taste, and cultivation technology. Consumers are more accustomed to raspberries. When laying blackberry plantations, certain funds should be allocated for trellises. Berries need post-harvest processing, and they are not as transportable as, for example, the popular blueberry. Besides, the area under the blackberry will increase, and the berry has its right to further distribution. However, it is still difficult for blackberry to compete with the raspberry,” says Yana Tereshchenko, a senior researcher at the Berry Crop Technology Laboratory.

As for prices, during the period of mass harvesting of berries by Ukrainian farms in late June-early July, blackberries were sold on the market in the price range of $ 4.12-5.62 / kg. Currently, according to the UHA, despite a decrease in supply, the price on the market has also decreased, and at the end of last week, the berry was sold at an average price of $ 1.82 / kg.

“At the same time, the market trend can be called the expansion of demand for berries from consumers leading a healthy lifestyle, which is associated with the beneficial properties of blackberries,” said Kateryna Zvereva.

As for the varieties, according to Kateryna Zvereva, in the last 20 years, mainly the Loch Ness variety has been grown. The berries of this variety taste good, but only if they are ripe, so they should reach the consumer very quickly. The short lead-time limits sales. “Each variety of blackberry has its optimum degree of ripeness when the berries must be harvested,” notes Kateryna Zvereva.

At the end of 2019, a new blackberry variety called “Loch Tay” was added to the State Register of Plants in Ukraine. It is one of the earliest blackberry varieties (it ripens 2-3 weeks earlier than the well-known Loch Ness variety). Besides, according to UHA, two more new blackberry varieties, namely Natchez and Ouachita, are being prepared for registration in Ukraine, which were created as part of the berry crop breeding program of the University of Arkansas (USA).

Сообщение Kateryna Zviereva: Blackberries in Ukraine are still a niche berry появились сначала на EastFruit.

The price situation on the Ukrainian berry market has developed in such a way that currently even an ineffective producer without deep knowledge and proper agronomic support can stay on and be effective. However, over time, the situation will change and non-professionals will leave the market. This opinion was expressed by Oleg Bosyi, Development Director of FruTek LLC (Ukraine), during the online webinar “Major Mistakes in Berry Growing”, which took place on August 12. The event was organized by the Yak Bdzhola cooperative.

“Fortunately for these people, this is true (the ability to be effective in the market with inefficient production – EastFruit). Currently, it is possible to get a yield of blueberries at the level of 3-4 t/ha with a potential of 10-12 t/ha and effectively function in the market. This is due to the fact that there are such conditions in the market: having received even a small harvest, producers have the opportunity to sell it at a very high price, because this year the minimum price for blueberries has increased by 50%. Therefore, even having a plantation in the weeds, without watering and feeding, the business has the opportunity to earn good money,” explained the development director of FruTek LLC.

At the same time, he expressed confidence that “sooner or later the market will change”.

“An example of this is the raspberry segment, where currently only producers, who have well-groomed plantations and high yields effectively operate. They have gone through a two-year period of low prices and currently, their business is doing very well. The same will happen in the segment of garden strawberries and black currants. One of the main mistakes in the berry business is to invest in those crops for which there is an inadequately high price on the market at the moment. In fact, there is a need to choose those berries for which the price at the current moment is inadequately low because sooner or later non-professionals will leave the market and the price will go up again,” said Oleg Bosyi.

In turn, speaking about possible business failures, co-owner of the Dolina-Agro nursery (Ukraine) Oleg Bazyuk noted that about 50% of Ukrainian producers use an unsuccessful approach when laying berry plantations.

“However, this is a typical problem, for example, for Polish manufacturers. This tendency, in my opinion, will be observed in Ukraine for several more years. This problem could be solved due to the work of private or state structures, which would provide all the necessary consulting support to investors in the berry business,” said Oleg Bazyuk.

Сообщение One of the main mistakes of the berry business is investing in crops with an inadequately high current price on the market – opinion появились сначала на EastFruit.

Ukrainian gardeners, who in the face of increasing competition in the market in recent years have constantly faced a decrease in average prices for cultivated berries, are finally rewarded in 2020. “That would always be so!” is the most common phrase that was heard from Ukrainian berry pickers last week when almost all berries appeared on the market at the same time and their prices were announced.

EastFruit analysts decided to analyze the price situation for each type of berry.

Strawberries were served in bulk on average at 50 UAH / kg ($1.9 per kg), and this was for an average quality berry. If there were premium quality berries and in the appropriate packaging, even more than 70 UAH / kg ($2.6) could be obtained. Thus, the average wholesale price of strawberry was 65-70% higher than a year earlier and this is in high season! In comparison, in neighboring Poland, prices are almost 60% lower than in Ukraine.

Ukrainian frosts did not start the freezing season of garden strawberries because of the too high price of berries. As a rule, the lowest price for berries on the market is reached in mid-June. Last year, the average price of berries for the fresh market by June 15 fell to 25 UAH / kg ($ 0.9) and this was the lowest point, after which prices began to rise. However, this year, prices at the same time were two times lower.

It should be noted that on Sunday, June 21, 2020 prices for berries in some regions still fell to the level of 25 UAH / kg, but high-quality berries were still sold at 30 UAH / kg ($ 1.1) on average. Moreover, prices leveled off and were almost identical in all regions of Ukraine.

Raspberries in Ukraine last week sold well at an average of 150 UAH / kg ($ 5.6). A year earlier, the price of early raspberries at the same time was about 90 UAH / kg ($ 3.3). That is, they were 40% lower. Of course, far-reaching conclusions cannot yet be drawn from this, because the season cannot yet be considered as begun since only small quantities of the earliest raspberry varieties enter the market. However, even with these volumes you can make good money.

“Raspberry in 2018 was a disappointment for farmers, who then suffered losses for the second year in a row due to overproduction and extremely low prices. Often raspberries were sold in the mass harvest season at 10-12 UAH / kg (40-50 cents per kg). Therefore, many got rid of raspberry plantations, and, at the same time, the capacity for freezing berries sharply increased. Thus, supply decreased and demand increased. Accordingly, already in 2019, raspberries again became a very profitable position,” explains Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the Investment Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Nevertheless, despite the good previous season and the high price start, not everyone is sure that raspberry prices will remain at a high level throughout the season. According to analysts of the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project, raspberries suffered less from frost in the spring of 2020 than other berries. Therefore, it is expected that the situation will not get worse.

Blueberry is the most profitable berry culture of Ukraine in recent years. That is why so many new blueberry plantations are being laid. By the pace of expansion of areas under blueberries, Ukraine is among the world leaders. The blueberry season in Ukraine has just begun, but the first prices are very pleasing to farmers. The price 350-400 UAH / kg ($ 13-15 per kg) was set by those who were able to harvest blueberries first. Nevertheless, as with raspberries, experts are very cautious in forecasting prices for blueberries, given the expansion of areas in the country and a decrease in the purchasing power of the population.

The season of mass sales of blueberries in Ukraine this year is expected to begin in early July and will last until the second half of August.

Blackberries are now sold in Ukraine at an average of 150 UAH / kg, like raspberries, and prices have already begun to decline actively. This berry is becoming more and more popular due to the increased access of Ukrainian gardeners to the best varieties of foreign selection, which are characterized by large-fruited, high palatability, and high productivity. Accordingly, an increase in blackberry production in Ukraine is also expected this year, and it cannot be guaranteed that prices will be just as favorable during the active harvest season.

Haskap, despite many skeptical reviews from those who first planted this berry, continues to gain popularity in Ukraine. Demand for haskap seedlings is still very high. However, in 2020, this berry was severely affected by frosts, therefore, despite the rapid growth of areas, its production may not increase significantly. Prices so far remain at a very favorable level for manufacturers, which is from 220 to 300 UAH / kg ($ 8.2-11.2), depending on the variety and volume of the batch.

Black currants, red currants, and gooseberries are also available on the market. The wholesale prices for these berries range from 60 to 80 UAH / kg ($ 2.2-3.0). At the same time, the price for red currants is on average 10-15 UAH / kg lower than for black currants. There is a lack of information about how much these berries have suffered from frost. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the development of events in this market.

It should be noted that the berry season in 2020 shifted by an average of 7-10 days due to the cold spring. Of course, the prices were affected by frosts, which greatly reduced the production of early berries, as well as stone fruits, primarily cherries, and apricots. Although already this weekend, on June 20-21, prices for late-season cherries, which gardeners began to harvest, began to decline sharply. Already today, cherries could be bought in bulk at prices starting from 20 UAH / kg (75 US cents), which means that the price has already dropped below last year’s level. A year earlier, at this time, cherries were sold on average at 25 UAH / kg.

Thus, it is possible that a decrease in the price of cherries will be followed by a dynamic decrease in the price of berries.

Сообщение Berry Eldorado: Prices for all berries in Ukraine allow farmers to earn great money появились сначала на EastFruit.