In anticipation of the release of the updated part of the study on the forecast of production and prices for potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, onions, and apples in Ukraine in the 2020/21 season, experts of the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project conducted a final survey of producers, received corrected data from representatives of seed companies, analyzed official data on international trade in seed, and most importantly, conducted a series of consultations with market experts and professional growers.

One of the key crops of this season is undoubtedly onions, the prices for which in the second half of the season reached record levels for two years in a row, in particular, up to UAH 17 / kg in the 2019/20 season, and more than UAH 25 / kg in the 2018/2019 season.

High prices attracted new players to this business and added excitement to experienced manufacturers. As the project analysts predicted back in the spring of 2020, onion areas continue to grow for the next year in a row and with increasing intensity.

The project specialists, relying on an increase in acreage, an increase in imports of planting onions, and reports of sales growth from representatives of seed companies, for logical reasons, predicted an increase in the gross harvest of onions in Ukraine in 2020 compared to last year, even taking into account an insignificant decrease in yield.

Producers, trying to control the situation, began to report more and more problems with onions, such as early withering of the tops, undershooting of the planned mass, the development of diseases, etc.

Agroanaliz LLC reported that the most real threat to onions is a lack of harvest in quantitative terms since plants’ development due to the tops’ wilting is delayed. However, experts do not yet see any problems with the quality of products for further storage.

Serhii Klimashevych, a co-founder of Kovalevka LLC, where onions are grown on an area of ​​80 hectares, helped get a deeper understanding of the situation with the state of the onion market in Ukraine at the time of the main harvest.

According to the manufacturer, in their region, it is possible to find fields with high-quality onions and areas with an opposite situation, where there is no professional approach to production.

“If we evaluate the current season of onion production in Ukraine, then using the example of such companies as ours and many other serious onion producers with many years of experience, we can say with confidence that in 2020 there will be absolutely enough onion of appropriate quality to fill the storage capacity “, states Serhii.

“However, it is difficult to say whether the required production amount will last until May 2021 not to replace the shortage with imported onions. Only a sharp deterioration in the quality of Ukrainian onion in storage in the second half of the 2020/21 season can support higher onion prices in April-May 2021. At the moment, it is challenging to predict more than UAH 5 / kg for that period,” suggested Mr. Klimashevych.

In support of his predictions, the farmer drew attention to current wholesale prices for onions in their region. For high-quality products, sellers announce the price of up to UAH 3 / kg, and at the same time, there are many offers of medium-quality onions, which are sold at UAH 2.5-2.7 / kg. Wholesale consignments of substandard onions are offered at UAH 2.5 / kg.

The only thing Serhii is sure of is that onions in Ukraine should be grown exclusively by professionals in their field since the race for quick money on this crop, in most cases, ends in losses!

Сообщение Ukraine harvests high-quality onions in 2020 появились сначала на EastFruit.

Analysts of the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project report that the season of selling blueberries in Ukrainian farms is already close to completion, which entails a rapid decrease in the supply of this berry on the market. A characteristic feature of this season of blueberries is a significant shift in the start of realization and completion, which is due to the cold and long spring.

It should be noted that the majority of Ukrainian gardeners offer to sell the residual lots of blueberries already today. At the same time, active demand and reduced supply in this segment allow them to conclude deals at UAH 200-270 / kg ($ 7.19-9.70 / kg), while prices for blueberries were kept at a reasonably high level throughout the season.

“The current development of the situation on the blueberry market in Ukraine, when with the annual increase in area, producers harvest a lower harvest than a year earlier, it is challenging to consider it optimal. Even in the case when individual farms were able to make money at a fairly high price level for berries, most blueberry producers in the current season could hardly get even a minimal profit,” commented Olexander Khorev, head of the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project.

Currently, blueberries in Ukraine are, on average, 1.6 times more expensive than at the end of the season last year. The higher level of prices for blueberries in Ukraine compared to the previous year is due to the delay in the ripening season by an average of 7-10 days. Another essential factor in this price situation was significant losses incurred by producers of these berries due to spring frosts and other natural disasters.

More detailed information on the blueberry market prospects in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus will be presented during the international webinar “The Blueberry Market in Eastern Europe,” which will take place on September 17 at 14:00 Kyiv time.

Сообщение Blueberry season ends in Ukraine появились сначала на EastFruit.

Analysts of the EastFruit project reported the rise in prices for blueberries in Ukraine this week. The main reason for the upward price dynamics is the reduction in the supply of blueberries amid strong demand. Many growers have reported that they have completed the season for the summer varieties of this berry.

At the same time, gardeners currently selling late varieties of blueberries have had the opportunity to hike the prices of their products again. As a result of these price adjustments, blueberries on the Ukrainian market are offered for sale for UAH 150-220 / kg ($ 5.46-8.01 / kg), which is, on average, 10% more expensive than a week earlier.

It should be noted that blueberries are currently one of the most promising niche berry crops in Ukraine. According to experts, at the moment, blueberry is the leader among berry crops in terms of area expansion.

“The reason for such an interest of Ukrainian gardeners in growing blueberries lies in the consistently high prices for this berry on the domestic market and the active demand for it from the European Union countries, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. It should be noted that the consumption of blueberries continues to grow continuously, not only in Ukraine but throughout the world. – comments on the situation Olexander Khorev, head of the project “APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits.” “Almost all large manufacturers have either already certified their production in accordance with the requirements of international standards, or are planning to do so in the near future to gain access to foreign markets.”

As a reminder, a detailed overview of the current situation on the blueberry market in Eastern Europe and the prospects for the next five years will soon be available in the study “Tall Blueberry Market in Eastern Europe – 2020“. The study will be released on August 25, and for more detailed information, you can refer to the “APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits” project:

Yevgeniy Kuzin: +380 96 583 63 23, eugenekuzin@gmail.com

Aleksandr Khorev: +380 67 634 39 80, fruit.chief@fruit-inform.com

Сообщение Ukraine: Reduction in supply of blueberries provoked an increase in prices in this segment появились сначала на EastFruit.

Ukrainian gardeners, who in the face of increasing competition in the market in recent years have constantly faced a decrease in average prices for cultivated berries, are finally rewarded in 2020. “That would always be so!” is the most common phrase that was heard from Ukrainian berry pickers last week when almost all berries appeared on the market at the same time and their prices were announced.

EastFruit analysts decided to analyze the price situation for each type of berry.

Strawberries were served in bulk on average at 50 UAH / kg ($1.9 per kg), and this was for an average quality berry. If there were premium quality berries and in the appropriate packaging, even more than 70 UAH / kg ($2.6) could be obtained. Thus, the average wholesale price of strawberry was 65-70% higher than a year earlier and this is in high season! In comparison, in neighboring Poland, prices are almost 60% lower than in Ukraine.

Ukrainian frosts did not start the freezing season of garden strawberries because of the too high price of berries. As a rule, the lowest price for berries on the market is reached in mid-June. Last year, the average price of berries for the fresh market by June 15 fell to 25 UAH / kg ($ 0.9) and this was the lowest point, after which prices began to rise. However, this year, prices at the same time were two times lower.

It should be noted that on Sunday, June 21, 2020 prices for berries in some regions still fell to the level of 25 UAH / kg, but high-quality berries were still sold at 30 UAH / kg ($ 1.1) on average. Moreover, prices leveled off and were almost identical in all regions of Ukraine.

Raspberries in Ukraine last week sold well at an average of 150 UAH / kg ($ 5.6). A year earlier, the price of early raspberries at the same time was about 90 UAH / kg ($ 3.3). That is, they were 40% lower. Of course, far-reaching conclusions cannot yet be drawn from this, because the season cannot yet be considered as begun since only small quantities of the earliest raspberry varieties enter the market. However, even with these volumes you can make good money.

“Raspberry in 2018 was a disappointment for farmers, who then suffered losses for the second year in a row due to overproduction and extremely low prices. Often raspberries were sold in the mass harvest season at 10-12 UAH / kg (40-50 cents per kg). Therefore, many got rid of raspberry plantations, and, at the same time, the capacity for freezing berries sharply increased. Thus, supply decreased and demand increased. Accordingly, already in 2019, raspberries again became a very profitable position,” explains Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the Investment Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Nevertheless, despite the good previous season and the high price start, not everyone is sure that raspberry prices will remain at a high level throughout the season. According to analysts of the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project, raspberries suffered less from frost in the spring of 2020 than other berries. Therefore, it is expected that the situation will not get worse.

Blueberry is the most profitable berry culture of Ukraine in recent years. That is why so many new blueberry plantations are being laid. By the pace of expansion of areas under blueberries, Ukraine is among the world leaders. The blueberry season in Ukraine has just begun, but the first prices are very pleasing to farmers. The price 350-400 UAH / kg ($ 13-15 per kg) was set by those who were able to harvest blueberries first. Nevertheless, as with raspberries, experts are very cautious in forecasting prices for blueberries, given the expansion of areas in the country and a decrease in the purchasing power of the population.

The season of mass sales of blueberries in Ukraine this year is expected to begin in early July and will last until the second half of August.

Blackberries are now sold in Ukraine at an average of 150 UAH / kg, like raspberries, and prices have already begun to decline actively. This berry is becoming more and more popular due to the increased access of Ukrainian gardeners to the best varieties of foreign selection, which are characterized by large-fruited, high palatability, and high productivity. Accordingly, an increase in blackberry production in Ukraine is also expected this year, and it cannot be guaranteed that prices will be just as favorable during the active harvest season.

Haskap, despite many skeptical reviews from those who first planted this berry, continues to gain popularity in Ukraine. Demand for haskap seedlings is still very high. However, in 2020, this berry was severely affected by frosts, therefore, despite the rapid growth of areas, its production may not increase significantly. Prices so far remain at a very favorable level for manufacturers, which is from 220 to 300 UAH / kg ($ 8.2-11.2), depending on the variety and volume of the batch.

Black currants, red currants, and gooseberries are also available on the market. The wholesale prices for these berries range from 60 to 80 UAH / kg ($ 2.2-3.0). At the same time, the price for red currants is on average 10-15 UAH / kg lower than for black currants. There is a lack of information about how much these berries have suffered from frost. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the development of events in this market.

It should be noted that the berry season in 2020 shifted by an average of 7-10 days due to the cold spring. Of course, the prices were affected by frosts, which greatly reduced the production of early berries, as well as stone fruits, primarily cherries, and apricots. Although already this weekend, on June 20-21, prices for late-season cherries, which gardeners began to harvest, began to decline sharply. Already today, cherries could be bought in bulk at prices starting from 20 UAH / kg (75 US cents), which means that the price has already dropped below last year’s level. A year earlier, at this time, cherries were sold on average at 25 UAH / kg.

Thus, it is possible that a decrease in the price of cherries will be followed by a dynamic decrease in the price of berries.

Сообщение Berry Eldorado: Prices for all berries in Ukraine allow farmers to earn great money появились сначала на EastFruit.