In 2024, Ukraine became the world's leading net exporter of frozen raspberries, surpassing not only Poland but also Serbia, the long-time leader in this segment, according to EastFruit.
In 2024, Ukraine's frozen raspberry exports reached a record 65,000 tons, showing a 34% year-on-year increase. This growth was significantly faster than that of any other major exporter.
Overall, over the past three seasons, Ukraine’s frozen raspberry export volumes more than doubled, while Serbia maintained its previous levels, and Poland reduced its exports by 24%.
Unlike Serbia and especially Poland, which actively import raspberries from abroad, Ukraine imports only minimal volumes. In Poland’s case, over 52% of its exported raspberries are imported, with the majority sourced from Ukraine.
In fact, nearly half of the frozen raspberries exported by Poland originate from Ukraine. It is the availability of affordable Ukrainian raspberries that enables Poland to maintain its position among the leading players in the global market.
Analyzing net export volumes, Ukraine supplies 65,000 tons of frozen raspberries to foreign markets, while Poland exports about 16,000 tons. Thus, in 2024, Ukraine exported four times more frozen raspberries than Poland.
Interestingly, in terms of total export volume, Ukraine still slightly lags behind Serbia. In 2024, Serbia exported 67,700 tons of raspberries, whereas Ukraine exported 65,100 tons.
However, Serbia imported 4,700 tons for further re-export, reducing its net export volume to 63,000 tons—2,000 tons less than Ukraine’s.
Between 2022 and 2024, Poland’s share in Ukraine’s raspberry exports decreased from 63% to 35%. Meanwhile, the share of direct exports to key Polish export markets—Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, and France—more than doubled, reaching 48%.
Ukraine is actively capturing Poland’s market share, made possible by improving product quality and processing levels.
Over the past three years, Ukraine’s frozen raspberry exports to Germany increased 4.5 times, to the Czech Republic 4.2 times, to Austria 33 times, and to France twice. In 2024, Ukraine also exported more than 2,000 tons of raspberries to Belgium, Italy, and Lithuania for the first time.
Additionally, Ukraine is rapidly expanding its frozen raspberry exports to Canada and the United States—markets that offer significantly higher prices than EU countries. Just three years ago, Ukraine did not supply these countries, but now it frequently outpaces Polish competitors in terms of export volume.
Among the unusual export destinations for Ukrainian frozen raspberries are the first commercial shipments to Argentina and Saudi Arabia.
Given the high raspberry prices in the previous season, EastFruit analysts predict that in 2025 and the 2025/26 season, Ukraine will set new raspberry export records and strengthen its leadership.
In particular, by 2025, Ukraine may surpass Serbia in total frozen raspberry export volume as well.
