Ukrainian producers of frozen organic berries are actively establishing cooperation with Dutch traders who are interested in increasing imports of this product to the country’s supermarkets, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to fruit and vegetable market expert Tatyana Hetman.
According to her, more than 20 meetings have already taken place in the Netherlands between representatives of Ukrainian business associations, producers of organic frozen products, and Dutch traders. At the same time, Hetman emphasized that securing supplies to supermarket chains without intermediaries is practically impossible.
The traders, for their part, work exclusively with organic berries and are interested in stable supplies to retail. The expert explained the growing demand for frozen berries by technological improvements. Ukrainian strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are especially popular among Dutch partners. The appearance of frozen blueberries is also expected, as the Canadian product does not meet consumer expectations.
Hetman stressed that traders are not interested in one-off shipments or even contracts for a single season. They seek to establish long-term partnerships and expect potential suppliers to confirm such capabilities. At the same time, having all certificates does not guarantee passing the verification successfully.
According to official data, in 2024 Ukraine increased exports of organic products to EU countries by 17.4% compared to the previous year — up to 203.9 thousand tons, which allowed it to enter the top three largest organic suppliers to the European Union.
It is also noted that due to an unsuccessful season in Spain — the main supplier of blueberries — the United Kingdom is changing its logistics of purchases towards Eastern European countries, including Ukraine and Poland. Blueberry exports from Ukraine, Georgia, and Zimbabwe are growing at the fastest rates worldwide.
In addition, based on the results of 2024, Ukraine exported a record 65 thousand tons of frozen raspberries, which is 34% more than in 2023. Overall, the country’s agricultural export reached $24.5 billion, accounting for 59% of total foreign trade volume, second only to the 2021 indicator when agricultural exports reached $27.7 billion.
Earlier we wrote that EU lifts import barriers for ukrainian seeds.