The Belarusian Market for Tomatoes
| Вид материала | Документы |
- Market leadership in the 3 g market, 117.72kb.
- Belarusian bibliography on lichenology, 5271.07kb.
- Деловая программа XIX международной туристской выставки inwetex-cis travel market, 56.77kb.
- 453256, Россия, Башкортостан, г. Салават, ул. Молодогвардейцев, 30 Тел.: (3476) 39-33-78,, 55.45kb.
- Заявка передается в виде сканированной копии по e-mail: market-pompa@liv orel, 27.8kb.
- Ля, продажа, сбыт, который в свою очередь является производным от market и означает, 1602.05kb.
- 1 Маркетинговые исследования и их виды, 407.48kb.
- Market Research Russia презентация доклад, 249.92kb.
- Сценарий аттестационного интервью «вопросник», 440.55kb.
- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Перевод: Дина Крупская Аннотация Знаменитый, 2492.55kb.
Tomato Varieties and Trends
Local Production
The respondents indicated that about 40-45% of all tomatoes consumed in Belarus are produced locally. The tomato varieties grown in greenhouses are presented in Annex 2 (varieties, average productivity and period of ripening). The most popular greenhouse tomato varieties and hybrids are Raisa, Madison, Greis, Kunero, Start, Maeva, Shtorm and Shattl; and open field varieties and hybrids are Liana, Kalinka, Ranitsa, Oranj 1, Sanika, Zagadka, Pojar, Sultan.
However, none of the respondents knew the varieties of tomatoes sold on the market. The main factor for classifying this product is its color. The majority of respondents emphasized that the most popular color of tomatoes is red. The share of yellow and green colored tomato on the market is insignificant.
Just one of the respondents noted, that they would certainly buy green-colored tomatoes. In the autumn period this type of tomatoes are used by consumers for the preparation of preserves.
| Red colored tomatoes | Yellow colored tomatoes | Green colored tomatoes |
 |  |  |
The Belarus market recognizes the following shapes of tomatoes: round, oval and cherry
| Round tomatoes | Oval/Plum tomatoes | Cherry tomatoes |
 |  |  |
Moldovan Product Import, Wholesale and Supermarket Prices
According to official data of the Ministry of Agriculture from Belarus, the average import price of tomatoes from Moldova was USD0.27/kg in 2003, USD0.28/kg in 2004 and USD0.41/kg in 2005.
Buyers surveyed for this study, indicated that Moldovan products on the Belarusian market are sold during the August – October period. During this period wholesale tomato prices decrease significantly, and are about USD0.74 - 0.84/kg (BYR (Belarusian Rubles) 1600-1800/kg). The supermarket prices for Moldovan production are about USD0.93 – 1.39/kg (BYR 2000-3000/kg).
Extra-CIS Countries’ Product Prices
During the local production season, the extra-CIS tomato import volumes (i.e. from Spain, Turkey etc) decrease significantly, due to reduced competitiveness caused by abundant and low priced CIS and local production.
According to the official data of the Ministry of Agriculture from Belarus, the average import value of tomato from extra-CIS countries was USD0.43/kg in 2003, USD0.46/kg in 2004 and USD0.67/kg in 2005.
According to the survey results, the major part of tomatoes imported from extra-CIS countries are sold in the off-season period. Wholesale prices vary between USD 1.86-2.56/kg (BYR
4000 and 5500/kg) in this period depending on variety (the most expensive variety is cherry tomatoes) and selling period. (Note: Some wholesale company representatives noted that they do not sell tomatoes imported from non CIS countries in the off-season.)
According to the respondents the supermarket prices during the off-season period vary between USD2.78/kg and USD4.17/kg (BYR 6 000 - 9 000/kg).
Major Competitors
The main fruit and vegetable importers are located in Minsk and Gomel. The respondents indicated that there are a small number of large importer organizations, including Krutobor and Mustang.
The interviewees stated that a major part of imported tomatoes are imported via seaports in the Baltic States. State owned wholesale bases, the “Raipo”, supply the majority of retail outlets in Belarusian regions. A list of Belarus regional wholesalers and markets is presented in Annexes 1 and 2.
The market leaders in vegetable sales are supermarkets “Biks” and “Gipa” in Minsk and “Arcada” in Gomel. “Universam” branded stores are widely spread retail outlets in Belarus.
Moldovan Tomato: Buyers’ Perceptions and Recommendations
The respondents stated that none of the Belarusian buyers travel to Moldova to buy tomatoes. The interviewees mentioned that Moldovan exporters became more active and prefer to deliver the production to Belarus by themselves. This is convenient for both Moldovan exporters and Belarus importers. Due to some problems related to produce quality and obstacles related to customs fees it is more convenient to buy Moldovan products in Belarus for a slightly higher price, rather than importing directly from Moldova.
Specific observations on Moldovan tomatoes made by Belarusian respondents include:
- The package must be non-returnable/one use cartons, (preferably carton boxes with partitions).
- Practically all interviewed supermarkets mentioned they would prefer tomatoes in 5-7 kg boxes.
- The respondents noted that Moldovan tomatoes are more perishable compared with tomatoes imported from Spain, Holland, Turkey etc.
- It is preferred that Moldovan traders deliver the production to Belarus.
- Belarusian state wholesale outlets do not always have the possibility to pay in cash, whereas Moldovan traders avoid bank payments.
- Sometimes there are problems related to freight volume shortages (the contractors need consistent tomato volumes deliveries, while the Moldovan producers sometimes cannot deliver the total quantity that is ordered).
Respondents’ recommendations to Moldovan tomato exporters who want to enter the Belarusian market are the following:
- Focus on product quality. It is recommended to calibrate (size grade) the production (especially for supermarkets).
- Deliver tomatoes in 5-7 kg non returnable/one use carton boxes.
- It is preferable to indicate the origin country on carton box.
- It is desirable that transaction partners conclude contracts in advance indicating all product specifications (delivery period, delivery schedule, quantity, quality, package, method of payment, product price (depends of the market price at the delivery moment) etc.
- The list of wholesalers in Belarus, provided by the Embassy of Belarus, is presented in Annex 4.