Russia and Ukraine issue

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has shaken the fruit industry. The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the fruit trade even seem less severe than the problems arising from the military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia is the world's leading importer of temperate fruits, such as apples, pears, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and second in lemons and grapes, given the climatic limitations restricting production. Of these fruits, it imports almost 3 million tons.

Within the southern hemisphere, the leading suppliers are Argentina and South Africa. Especially, Argentina is one of the most affected countries, as the country sends significant volumes to Russia. In 2020-21, Argentina shipped 160K/mt - 71K/mt of pears, 41K/mt of lemons, 20K/mt of mandarins, 16K/mt of oranges, 9,500/mt of apples, and 2,500/mt of grapes. Depending on the case, it represents between 10% to 40% of the total exported for each fruit.

There are 11K/mt of pears and apples in the water, one-third of what has been shipped overseas in the new campaign. The numbers clearly show Argentina's fresh fruit exports are dependent on Russia.