Raspberry boom: How Ukraine became the #1 raspberry exporter in Europe and what threatens its further growth

By the end of 2025, Ukraine has every chance to consolidate its status as the largest the largest raspberry exporter among European countries. According to industry associations, exports could reach 70,000 tons, and the total income of farmers and processors could amount to approximately UAH 11 billion in foreign currency equivalent.Just five years ago, Ukrainian raspberry was a niche product. Today, it is a full-fledged export business that attracts private investors and large processing companies. At the same time, the berry boom is already running into limitations that may affect its future. Andriy Zaika investigated.A promising berryThe largest by the supplier Ukraine became the largest producer of raspberries among European countries in 2024. At that time, domestic farmers exported 65,100 tons of berries.In 2025, this figure will increase. "Exports could reach 70,000 tons," says Taras Bashtannyk, head of the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association (UPOA).He grows raspberries in the Zhytomyr region. His company, Berry Hub Plus, increased its revenue by 4.5 times in one year, reaching UAH 13 million in 2024 (YouControl data).The high profitability of the industry attracts many players. In 2024, the head of the Antimonopoly Committee, Pavlo Kyrylenko, stated that his family's raspberry business brought in $300,000 in profit.Overall, Ukrainian raspberry exports have doubled in the last five years. If it weren't for the full-scale war, the growth rate could have been even higher.Until 2022, significant areas of berry plantations were concentrated in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions. "Due to the war in 2022-2023, many berry farms ceased operations or relocated. Therefore, the current market is smaller than it could be," explains Ksenia Guseva, a berry market expert at APK-Inform.Read alsoThe gardening boom. Where millions are growing.Government support as a driver of growthSince 2022, the industry has been receiving state support. There is a grant program for the development of horticulture and berry growing, under which the state compensates up to 70% of the costs of establishing raspberry plantations – up to UAH 400,000 per hectare. The maximum grant amount for one project in 2025 is UAH 10 million.The state budget for 2026, under the "Grant Provision for Business Creation or Development" program, allocates UAH 1.37 billion, which is expected to provide an additional investment impulse for the industry.Currently, according to the Ukrainian Raspberry Growers Association, three key raspberry-growing regions have formed in Ukraine: Vinnytsia, Ternopil, and Rivne oblasts. These areas are home to the main industrial plantations, which has allowed the growth rate to be maintained in 2025.A distinctive feature of this year is the surge in domestic market profitability. In the summer of 2025, raspberry prices rose sharply. At the beginning of the season, the berries cost 280 UAH per kg (about 5.7 euros) in retail, which is significantly higher than the average export price of 3.2 euros per kg.As a result, manufacturers not bound by export contracts made windfall profits.The main reason for the price increase is the loss of part of the harvest due to spring frosts. frosts in April-May. The farms in Zakarpattia and Bukovyna were the most affected.Risk #1. ElectricityThe raspberry business is critically dependent on electricity. This refers to the so-called temperature chain – cooling, storage, and transportation.It is necessary to maintain a stable temperature for the berries all the way from the bush to the buyer. For this purpose, refrigerators are used when delivering raspberries from the field to the premises where they are prepared for delivery to retail chains.In case of export ambitions, it is necessary to have even more energy-intensive facilities for shock freezing of berries. Therefore, large-scale berry farming is impossible without electricity. This is according to Yuriy Goncharuk, chief agronomist of Dibrivka Agroservice.This company in the Kyiv region grows raspberries on 30 hectares and has a powerful refrigeration complex with a storage capacity of 300 tons. Over the past five years, the company's revenue has increased 1.7 times (UAH 160 million in 2024, according to Youcontrol).Raspberry processors also need electricity. For example, during the raspberry boom (since 2020), Vinnytsia-based Fruktona increased its revenue sevenfold (UAH 139 million in 2024, according to Youcontrol). Of course, such growth did not happen solely through raspberry processing, but its share is significant.To mitigate the energy problems The solution is to install solar power plants. For berry growers, the seasonality of solar power plants is not an obstacle, as the peak load occurs in summer (raspberry harvest is from late June to August).Read alsoWork is on fire. One Ukrainian cultivates six times more land than a Pole.Risk #2. LaborIn 2025, another problem became acute: the shortage of human capital. It was access to relatively cheap labor that allowed Ukraine to overtake Poland and Serbia.For comparison: in 2024, Poland exported 16,000 tons of raspberries, and Serbia exported 60,000 tons.One hectare of raspberry plantation requires at least 15 workers per season. In 2025, the average daily wage for harvesting was about 1000 UAH, but next season it could increase by 1.5 or 2 times.There are several ways for Ukraine to solve its labor problem. First of all, this is an increase in labor costs. During the season, one hectare of raspberry plantation requires at least 15 workers. In the 2025 season, the average payment for picking raspberries was UAH 1,000 per day. Next year, competition for workers will lead to an increase in their labor costs by one and a half times, and possibly even double.Under such conditions, importing labor becomes more attractive. Berry Hub Plus has already signed an agreement to bring in seasonal workers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.An alternative to migrant workers is purchasing raspberry harvesting combines. Their cost ranges from 20,000 to 60,000 euros. The Ukrainian Horticultural Association (UPOA) notes that the payback period for such equipment is only feasible for farms with berry fields of 15-20 hectares or more.There is another nuance: the mechanization of raspberry harvesting contradicts the terms of the state program. After all, the main goal of the grant is to provide employment in rural areas. Therefore, the grant recipient is obliged to provide work for at least 15 seasonal workers on each hectare of raspberry plantation annually.

Raspberry boom: How Ukraine became the #1 raspberry exporter in Europe and what threatens its further growth

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