D) Read and translate the text with the help of a dictionary. The Russian Market of Fruit Juice

The research of company "Information Technologies' Fund"

Over the past 20 years, the production and consumption of fruit juices in Russia has been rising and falling depending on how the economy is doing. Today, Russians consume about 4 liters of fruit juice per capita annually, but analysts predict an increase to 12 liters in 5 years, and a market growth to 1.8 million tons a year.

About 100 companies produce fruit juice in Russia, and approximately 70% of national production is based in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In Moscow, producers usually reconstitute juice from concentrate, which is easier to transport and store than freshly squeezed juice. With fresh juice's shelf life being limited to about 6 months, few dealers stock it. Notably, fresh juice has a better retail presence in southern Russian regions than in the north.

Juice concentrate is produced in two stages. Fresh juice squeezed out of fruit can be concentrated in two different ways, through vaporization or freezing out the water. For vaporization, fresh juice is heated up, but not to the point of boiling, as boiling would destroy vital nutrients. The resultant mash (concentrate) is packed in aseptic kegs or tankers, frozen and shipped out to juice producers. The freezing technique repeats the whole vaporization process, except that the juice is desiccated through freezing, not heating. Incidentally, many industry experts prefer the freezing process, since heating still destroys many important nutrients. The general policy is to prepare the concentrate in the area where the fruit was harvested.

The bulk of concentrate is imported. Curiously, while the output of fruit juice in Russia is increasing, concentrate imports have dropped. Apparently, Russian producers have been increasingly relying on domestic raw materials.

Brazil and the United States are the world's leading producers of citrus juices, especially orange juice, from concentrate. Most orange juice is made from oranges harvested in the State of Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Florida, USA. In 2008/2009, Brazil will have harvested an estimated 12 million tons of oranges. About 8 million tons will be processed, yielding 800,000 tons of concentrated orange juice (concentration 66 according to Brix). Florida is expected to put out 9,1 million tons of oranges, resulting in 850,000 tons of concentrate. The United States is also the world's leading producer and exporter of grapefruit juice, accounting for as much as two thirds of the world's output.

China, which grows nearly 50% of the world's apples, also produces most of the world's apple juice. China is also the leading exporter of apple juice concentrate, supplying nearly 13% of the world's exports of this product. Germany is the only European nation that increased its apple harvest to 2.5 million tons in 2006/2007. Poland's apple harvest has dropped to 600,000 tons in 2006 from 1.1 million tons the year before.

The output of pear juice is expected to increase in 2008/2009. 1.57 million tons of pears will be made into juice this year versus 1.49 in 2007/2008. China will be processing 410,000 tons of pears into juice in 2008/2009; the United States, 360,000 tons; and Argentina, 206,000 tons.

Western Europe has seen increasing demand for grape juice in recent time. The key exporters of grape juice in Europe are Italy and Spain.

The market has also grown for cherry juice in 2007. With the exception of Iran and Poland, most exporting nations were sold out of cherry juice as early as June.

The main exporter of pineapple juice is Thailand at 50% to 55% of world exports. The Philippines, Kenya and Indonesia are also major producers of pineapple juice.

India still enjoys a monopoly on "exotic" tropical fruit juices such as mango, despite the recent arrival of some new producing nations.

In Russia, producers use domestic raw materials for apple juice and most of their cherry, blackcurrant, cranberry and grape juice.

The Russian Government slashed import duties on selective types of fruit juice in May 2008. As a result import duties on concentrated orange, grapefruit, pineapple, pear, cherry, grape and tropical juices run at 5% of their customs-appraised value. Concentrated apple and tomato juice, as well as juice mixes, are subject to an import duty of 10%.

Russia produced about 25,000 tons of apple juice concentrate in 2007, which met more than 50% of domestic demand. However, foreign producers offered juice producers a better deal. As a result, domestic concentrate producers ended up with a backlog of more than 25,000 tons of apple concentrate. Desperate to sell their product, concentrate producers asked the government to keep foreign exporters off the market by increasing the import duty on apple concentrate from 10% to 50%.

Depsona ZAO was incorporated in 1996 as a joint Russian-Italian venture 52% owned by Italy's Alimenta, a Fiat member company. Alimenta outfitted a new factory in the Tula Region with state-of-the-art equipment and know-how. The factory sources its apples and carrots in the Tula, Oryol and Ryazan Regions. Its tomato, orange and peach concentrates come from Italy, while apple and carrot concentrates are made locally. Depsona produces both juice concentrates and juices, nectars and fruit drinks under its own brands.

St. Petersburg's Baltimor set up its tomato paste production in Uzbekistan about two years ago. Petrosoyuz Holdings has recently bought a factory in Uzbekistan to produce tomato paste from locally grown tomatoes. Outside the tomato season, the factory will be producing fruit juice concentrates. Analysts predict that Petrosoyuz may soon launch its own juice production. Baltimor, which currently owns two factories in Uzbekistan, already has. In 2001, Baltimor contracted the St. Petersburg-based beverage bottler Aquastar to produce Baltimor's fruit juice range under the Oriental Gourmet brand.

According to the Russian Association of Juice Producers, the domestic market for fruit juices stood at 750 million liters in 2000, and is poised to clear 1 billion liters this year. These figures are only slightly different from those provided by the National Statistics Committee.

Some of Russia's leading juice producers are Vimm-Bill-Dann (Moscow), Multon (St. Petersburg), Lebedyansk Experimental Cannery (Lipetsk Region), Nidan-Ecofrukt (Novosibirsk), Troya Ultra (St. Petersburg) and Amtel (Moscow Region).

Vimm-Bill-Dann dairies produce fruit juices, fruit drinks and other soft drinks, including J7, Rio Grande, Wonderberry, 100% Gold and DJ.

The J7 family currently includes upwards of 20 natural fruit juices and nectars in Tetra Brik Aseptic and Tetra Brik Aseptic Slim packaging with a Swedish-made Tetra Pak dispensing device, and in Combibloc packaging with a Austrian-made SIG Combibloc dispensing device. In late 1997, Vimm-Bill-Dann was the first Russian producer to launch premium juices and nectars under the Rio Grande trademark. The juices in the Rio Grande series, which are the closest approximation so far to freshly squeezed juice, last quite long and require no special storage conditions. In early 1998, Vimm-Bill-Dann launched its 5-strong Chudo-Yagoda (Wonderberry) mors family (mors is a traditional Russian fruit drink made with natural berry juice). The 100% Gold Premium juice line targets the less affluent consumer.

Multon ZAO produces the widely popular Nico, Dobry and Dary Leta (Gifts of Summer) fruit juice families.

Lebedyansk Experimental Cannery produces fruit juices in Tetra Brik Aseptic packaging and baby food in glass packaging, as well as ketchup and jam under the Tonus brand. The cannery currently markets 14 natural juice varieties.

Amtel is a successful Russian fruit juice producer established in 1995 when its Amtel Soft Drinks bottling plant was launched near Moscow. By now, the plant has reached its full capacity of 50,000 tons and expanded its product range to include 9 juices and nectars.

Parmalat came to the Russian market in 1991, first as a joint venture, then as Parmalat MK, a company fully owned by Italy's Parmalat Group. The company operates a dairy and fruit juice bottling plant in the Sverdlovsk Region, and an integrated dairy in Belgorod. Parmalat also owns an interest in the Lipetsk-based Progress Plant where the company produces its Santal fruit juice series.

Coca-Cola launched its Minute Maid fruit juice bottling operation at the Oryol-based Hellenic Bottlers years ago. However, when the natural juice market collapsed in the wake of the 1998 financial crisis, Coke was forced to discontinue production. The company's analysts have recently discovered that Russians are once again ready to buy expensive fruit beverages. Coke's Oryol bottling line produces 6,000 tons a day. Minute Maid fruit juices are marketed in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Oryol. Exports to Ukraine may commence soon.