Русский
The Russian Agriculture Ministry has states that the 2026 apple harvest in the organized sector should rise to nearly 2.1 million tonnes in 2026 from 2 million tonnes in 2025.
The Ministry said that “Horticulture in Russia has maintained a stable, positive trend in recent years. Apple production rose to a record 2 million tonnes in 2025 from 1.8 million tonnes in 2024 despite unfavorable weather conditions in some regions. Russian self-sufficiency in apples increased to 85.5%, and the figure should be 100% by 2028.”
The apple harvest in the organized sector has increased 1.7-fold over the past five years from 1.2 million tonnes in 2020.
The Agriculture Ministry believes that one factor behind the trend is government support measures, including those aimed at establishing and maintaining perennial crops under the state agricultural development program. Since the program began, 176,300 hectares of perennial fruit and berry crops, including nurseries, have been established, with 113,700 hectares, or 64.5%, being intensive orchards.
For many years, Russia was the main importer of apples from the European Union, purchasing about 57% of its total consumption from countries such as Poland. Following the fruit importation embargo imposed in 2014, Polish famers got across this by exporting to Russia via Belarus and Kazakhstan. Now however, Russia’s own harvest is close to sufficient for its own needs without the necessity to import from other countries. While Poland, Germany and Italy are major EU apple growers, in contrast to Russia’s strategy, the European Union also imports apples from markets such as Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. Future trends suggest potential shifts driven by climate change impacting favorable growing conditions, evolving EU agricultural policies, and technological advancements fostering precision agriculture practices.
