RUSSIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE GLOBAL FRUIT AND BERRY MARKET

Abstract

Among other countries of the world, Russia is one of the crucial subjects of the world market for fruit and berry produce. The objects of this market are numerous types of fruits, berries, and nuts. Most of them have been known to man since ancient times and have been in international trade since the first civilizations. The kiwi, for example, was cultivated relatively recently and did not appear on the world market until the second half of the 20th century. The development of technologies for the production, storage, processing, and transportation of fruit and berry produce and foreign economic liberalization increased both global gross harvests of fruits, berries and nuts, and the corresponding parameters of their export and import. These trends have significantly intensified in the last thirty years. By the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ statistics (FAO) of 1992–2019, the authors analyzed the changed volumes of production, export, and import of fruit and berry produce in the world as a whole, as well as in individual leading countries. A change in the positions of some countries, including Russia, was revealed in the global rankings on gross harvest, exports, and imports. Although in 2019, our country ranked only the 31st in the world in terms of fruit and berry production, Russia is one of the world’s largest importers of fruits, berries, and nuts. For example, in 2003–2014 it followed the USA and Germany by this indicator. In 2014–2018 it was the fourth country. In 2019, Russia moved to fifth place in this rating of the leading importers of fruit and berry produce. In 2020, FAO declared 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. In this regard, the stated problem of identifying our country’s place in the world market for fruit and berry produce is very relevant both from the point of view of its participation in global production volumes and the parameters of international trade in these types of goods.