Ukraine has found an attractive export niche, which has been actively developing for several years – fresh butternut squash exports. Moreover, Ukraine supplies it mainly to the most demanding of the possible sales markets – the UK.

EastFruit analysts note that, despite Brexit, in 2020 Ukraine was able to sharply increase butternut squash exports once again and set a new export record for the year. By the end of 2020, butternut squash exports from Ukraine increased by 76% to almost 2,000 tons. Moreover, compared with the volume of supplies just five years ago, the Ukrainian butternut squash exports has grown more than 12 times. Back in 2016, Ukrainian exporters sold only 164 tons of squash abroad. In monetary terms, butternut squash brought Ukrainian exporters 783,600 US dollars in revenue, of which about half a million is the revenue from supplies to the UK.

Last year, Great Britain imported about half of all Ukrainian butternut squash exported – 972 tons. Exports to this country increased by 20% per year in volume and even more significantly in value terms since average butternut squash prices have increased. Considering that the UK imports more than 70,000 tons of butternut squash per year, Ukraine is far from having exhausted all the possibilities of supplying these vegetables to the United Kingdom because the share of Ukraine in British pumpkin imports barely exceeds 1%.

Interestingly, butternut squash supplies from Ukraine are not limited to the UK. Ukrainian exporters are actively diversifying their sales. In 2020, Ukraine more than quadrupled the exports of fresh squash to Romania. Thus, in 2020 Romania accounted for more than 31% of all Ukrainian butternut squash exports, while a year earlier – only slightly less than 13%.

Another interesting precedent was the supply of Ukrainian butternut squash to the UAE in 2020. It was the first large batch of fresh squash delivered to the Middle East from Ukraine. And this gives hope for the further expansion of sales markets because other fruits and vegetables are increasingly being exported in this direction, mostly thanks to FAO and the EBRD’s successful trade missions.

Similarly, the Ukrainian squash exports to Moldova and Bulgaria increased significantly, reaching 145 tons and 112 tons, respectively. Note that a year earlier, Moldova imported only 15 tons of this product, and Ukraine didn’t supply squash to Bulgaria at all. Among other vital directions of Ukrainian supplies, we note the Netherlands, where Ukraine exported 59 tons of the product.

“Exports of squash from Ukraine began to actively develop in the country after the closure of the Russian market in 2015 when Ukrainian vegetable growers were forced to urgently seek both new supply channels and new products for exports. One of these turned out to be squash and in 2016 the first 117 tons of squash were delivered to the United Kingdom. Today, squash exports are one of the fastest-growing segments of Ukrainian export products with high-added value,” comments Yevhen Kuzin, the head of International Projects at Fruit-Inform.com.

“Buyers from the EU are selective about the quality of supplied products. Therefore, although the volumes of pumpkin imports from Ukraine are growing rapidly, they remain relatively low. Butternut squash, according to the requirements of the main European buyers, should be rather small and proportional and the optimal weight should be from 800 g to 1 kg. Squash over 1.5 kg are practically not used for direct sale in supermarkets and are mainly sent for further processing,” adds Mr Kuzin.

The main exports of butternut squash from Ukraine occurs in the autumn-winter period. The peak of export supplies falls in October, November and December, and since January, exports begin to decline.  From January to early March, butternut squash from the Southern Hemisphere countries (Brazil, South Africa, etc.) is already actively entering the EU market. It is then that supplies from Ukraine begin to decline.

“Although Ukrainian exporters will traditionally export the main volume of butternut squash in September-December, they will pay more attention to lengthening the season of their supplies. It will make it possible to stay on the EU market until the end of spring next year when relatively expensive products from the Southern Hemisphere countries occupy the bulk of this market. Also, even in October-December, the growth potential of Ukrainian butternut squash supplies to the UK and EU countries, not to mention the Middle East markets, continues to be quite significant,” says Yevhen Kuzin.

According to EastFruit, the main squash suppliers in January-May 2020 to the EU from non-EU countries and geographically the closest were Morocco and Egypt in Northern Africa. Other suppliers were from the Southern Hemisphere and Central America such as South Africa (the leader in deliveries), Argentina, Panama, Peru, and New Zealand.

Сообщение Butternut squash from Ukraine conquers Europe and the Middle East появились сначала на EastFruit.

The audience of the most popular fruit and vegetable trading group EastFruit Trade Platform continues to grow. Last week, it exceeded 11,200 users, and more than 200 new members joined us in a week. Thank you for inviting your friends and colleagues! Let’s analyze who and what sold on the platform and other EastFruit sites during this period.

The number of advertisements for the sale of fruit and vegetable products decreased slightly last week. Representatives of 14 countries sold their products on the site. Most of the proposals came from participants from Russia. The five most active countries also include Uzbekistan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Egypt. Besides, if Uzbekistan participants reduced the number of proposals by 25%, then representatives of Belarus and Ukraine increased their activity by one and a half times.

In the vegetable segment, most of the advertisements were for the sale of potatoes and onions. Sales of carrots and beets increased slightly. For the second week in a row, the supply of bell peppers is growing. The number of ads for the sale of pumpkin has more than doubled, which allowed it to get into our top. The interesting ads offered for sale kale, the popularity of which has been rapidly growing lately.

As soon as this product is not called, it is known, by the way, in our countries for many years under the modest name “curly cabbage.” However, “curly cabbage” is undoubtedly more challenging to sell than a superfood called “kale.” Less commonly, you can find the name “bruncol,” “browncol,” or “gruncol,” but they are all the same product.

Despite a decrease in supply, apple sales are in the lead in the fruit and berry segment. The supply of table grapes, watermelon, and melons has significantly decreased. Due to this, our top’s second position was unexpectedly taken by a pomegranate, which Uzbekistan and Egypt representatives actively began to offer. There was an ample supply of persimmons and plums. Participants also started offering fresh cranberries for sale.

As for the advertisements for the purchase of vegetable products, onions were in the greatest demand last week. The participants also actively searched for potatoes and tomatoes. In the fruit segment, as in the previous week, requests for purchasing apples prevailed. Raspberries were also in high demand. Participants also searched for asparagus and hazelnuts.

In the EastFruit Fruittechnology technology group, fertilizer announcements prevailed. The supply of seedlings has increased. They actively offered apple, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry seedlings, and cluster seedlings of garden strawberries. There were offerings of onion and garlic seeds. We also sold refrigeration equipment.

On the Russian market, only onion has risen in price from fruit and vegetable products. The increase in the supply of pumpkin and bell peppers has led to a decrease in their prices. Carrots and cabbage also became cheaper. Participants also reduced prices for tomatoes and Chinese cabbage. In the fruit and berry segment, prices for apples and plums decreased. Watermelons also fell in price.

On the trading platforms of Ukraine in the vegetable segment, only beets and cabbage rose in price. The prices for cucumbers and radishes went down. Of the tomatoes, only red varieties fell in price. Red hot pepper has dropped in price by 5-10 UAH / kg. Producers have reduced the selling prices of zucchini, eggplant, and cauliflower. The increase in pumpkin supply adjusted its prices downwards. Greens such as onions, dill, basil, and salad have become cheaper.

In the fruit and berry segment, changes in prices are not so significant. It is possible to highlight the rise in prices for peaches, melons, and garden strawberries. Dogwood fell in price.

As for the prices in other countries, in Kazakhstan, sellers asked 35 tenges for onions, 60 tenges for beets, 70 tenges for carrots, and potatoes. Belarusian producers sold potatoes, carrots, cabbage at 11 rubles, and beets at 9 rubles per kg.

Сообщение Pumpkin and pomegranate, kale and cranberry are among the proposals, but apples, potatoes and onions are out of competition – analysis of marketplaces for a week появились сначала на EastFruit.

Farm “Organic-D” from the village Sutiski of Vinnytsia region (Ukraine) grows pumpkins, which after storage for 10 months will be sent for export. This is reported by Agri-gator with reference to Kurkul.com.

The farm cultivates 300 hectares, and an area of ​​more than 70 hectares is allotted for open-field vegetable growing. Farmers grow carrots, beets, late cabbage, potatoes, and onions on drip irrigation. Next year they plan to allocate another 70 hectares for vegetables, where irrigation will also be arranged.

The company grows vegetables and can provide them with professional storage for 10 months from the beginning of harvest in its own vegetable storage with a capacity of 3000 tons.

Alexander Pasechny, the chief agronomist of the Organic-D farm, believes that pumpkin is one of the most fertile crops, and under optimal growth conditions and compliance with technological requirements, its yield reaches 70-80 t / ha.

The farm plans to start exporting Jerusalem artichoke and swede next year, and pumpkins this year.

“Firstly, this pumpkin plant is suitable for crop rotation and, as a result, improvement of the phytosanitary state of the fields and the state of the soil. Secondly, in the context of a relatively simple growing technology, pumpkin is quite a profitable business. The third positive point is the expansion of the production, which can reduce the financial risks of the enterprise and insure the company in case of crop failure of the main crops in a separate farm,” said Alexander Pasechny.

Сообщение Ukrainian vegetable producer plans to export pumpkins появились сначала на EastFruit.