Poland led the relative growth rates of berry imports among the top 10 fastest-growing berry markets globally.
According to economist Andriy Yarmak of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Poland annually increased its berry imports by an average of 24%, or $68 million, primarily due to the opportunity to purchase inexpensive frozen berries from Ukraine, EastFruit reports.
Over the past five years, Ukraine has been the world champion in the growth rate of berry exports, with Poland being its main market. Poland's fastest-growing imports were in fresh blueberries and frozen raspberries, the most rapidly expanding categories in Ukraine's berry exports. In 2022, more than 60% of Poland's berry imports consisted of fresh blueberries and frozen raspberries.
China slightly trailed Poland, increasing berry imports by 21% annually. In absolute terms, the United States outpaced others, with berry imports growing at an average of 14% per year, resulting in a yearly increase of $578 million. This makes the US market a crucial focus for Ukrainian suppliers, along with the Canadian market, which experienced an annual import growth of over $95 million.
The Netherlands and Germany also demonstrated high absolute growth rates in berry imports, with increases of $133 million and $114 million annually, respectively.
