The volume of imported fruits and vegetables in the Novosibirsk region, Russia, has risen significantly since the beginning of 2025, increasing by 40% compared to the same period last year. According to the press service of Rosselkhoznadzor, approximately 30,000 tons of fresh produce have been brought into the region, with import volumes continuing to grow.
At a recent meeting with members of the Transport Union, officials discussed the growing capacity of the Novosibirsk transport and logistics hub. Containerized cargo shipments have increased from 4.2% in 2018 to 9.7% today, with plans to reach 15.7% by 2029.
However, Rosselkhoznadzor experts have also reported a rise in cases of non-compliant imported produce.
In 2024, 122 cases involving nine harmful pests were recorded. Meanwhile, in just January and February 2025, inspectors have already identified eight different quarantine pests in 36 shipments. Contaminated fruits and vegetables are either returned, disinfected, or destroyed.
Despite the increase in imports, retail chains claim they do not profit from fruit and vegetable sales. At a roundtable discussion hosted by Kontinent Sibir, industry representatives emphasized that fresh produce remains a high-demand category but is not financially lucrative. "Fruits and vegetables attract customers, but all major retail chains consider this category to be a planned loss. Factoring in spoilage and logistics, there is no profit. At least, I don't know of any chain that makes money from it," said Ilya Sukharev, head of Farmer-center franchising.
Source: ksonline.ru