The season of strawberries in Ukraine began a few weeks ago, but strawberry growers are already forced to reduce prices, EastFruit project analysts report. So far, only some farms in the southern regions of the country have started harvesting in heated greenhouses.

At the same time, if the prices for the first batches of strawberries were at an average of 200 UAH/kg ($6.84/kg), today the growers were forced to reduce prices to 150-180 UAH/kg ($5.13-6 ,15/kg), which is on average 25% cheaper than a week earlier.

Producers believe that the downward price trend will only intensify in the near future, since relatively cheap strawberries grown in Greece and Spain are offered in sufficient volumes on the market at 120-150 UAH/kg ($4.10-5.13/kg). A rather low demand also has a negative impact on prices in this segment. At the same time, most producers of strawberries have problems with the sales due to hostilities in some regions of the country. Some consumers were also forced to leave the country.

We add that the main offer on the Ukrainian market today is greenhouse strawberries. According to growers’ forecasts, open field strawberries will go on sale in the end of May.

Сообщение Strawberries are getting cheaper in Ukraine появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to representatives of the Association of Potato Growers of Moldova, the first potatoes harvested from the fields under plastic film will go on sale around May 5-10, that is, in a time close to the average. The cool weather that settled in the second half of April will probably not slow down the ripening.

The association believes that, despite the multi-level crisis, there are good conditions for the sale of early potatoes this year. First, there will probably be relatively few of locally produced early potatoes this year. Farms in several southern and eastern regions of the country have been specializing in their cultivation for many years. According to expert estimates, the total area of ​​their fields in the best seasons was about 300-400 ha. However, it has been rapidly declining in the last two or three years due to competition with imported early potatoes, as well as due to a reorientation towards the production of late potatoes. By the way, the most pronounced increase in potato prices last season was in the winter and spring months of this year.

Secondly, local early potatoes will probably go on sale almost simultaneously with imported ones this year (sales of imported potatoes at the end of the last decade started earlier and at a higher price). In 2022, it is still cold in the regions of Romania, from which early expensive potatoes are exported for the Moldovan market.

Thirdly, early potatoes have become a niche, store product over the previous two years of the pandemic. Their price – presumably 20-25 MDL/kg ($1.08-1.36/kg) in the chain retail this year – will not contrast too much with the price of last year’s washed potatoes packed in nets or in casseroles and flowpack bags.

Сообщение Early potatoes will become available on the Moldovan market in the first decade of May появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit analysts, two Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, have increased their imports of Iranian apples many times over in the first 4 months of 2022.

Turkmenistan entered the Top-5 largest importers of Iranian apples in the world during this period, having purchased 19 500 tonnes of apples in Iran. For comparison, imports in the same period last year were 22 times less. Uzbekistan ranked 6^th among apple importers from Iran having imported 13 000 tonnes of apples in 4 months, which is 21 times more than in the same period in 2021.

Read also: Uzbekistan became the fastest growing market for fruits and vegetables from Iran in 2021

“The volume of apple exports from Iran in the first months of 2022 lags behind last year by about 19%, which is due to a decrease in the apple harvest in the country in 2021 caused by spring frosts. However, exports to Central Asian countries, where there were also frosts and reduced harvest, rose sharply as prices were high there. An additional incentive for the growth of supplies was the cessation of apple exports from Ukraine at the end of February, after russia invaded Ukraine with its army and blocked supplies,” explains Andriy Yarmak, economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In addition to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, importers from the UAE (by 42%), Pakistan (by 75%) and Kuwait (by 73%) also increased the volume of purchases of Iranian apples in 2022. A decrease in apple exports from Iran to such large markets as Iraq, India and Russia was noted.

Сообщение Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan significantly increased apple imports from Iran in 2022 появились сначала на EastFruit.

The season of local greenhouse strawberries started at the end of last week at the fruit and berry market of Moldova. The first offers of berries appeared in social networks and groups of communication services. The price is exactly the one representatives of the Pomușoarele Moldovei Berry Producers Association forecasted a month ago – 100-120 MDL/kg ($5.42-6.50/kg), subject to purchasing at least 3 kg, targeted delivery.

The availability of strawberries in the pre-Easter week is a good sign, since the association expressed doubt in mid-March that the sales of Moldovan strawberries grown in greenhouses of various types and on fields covered with agril would start in April. Indeed, many berry farmers note that at the end of the second decade of the month, strawberries even in sheltered plantations are still far from ripe. Strawberries from greenhouses are offered by very few farms now.

Apparently, it will be difficult for them to sell even a small volume at the stated price. It contrasts very much with the current price level for imported Turkish and Greek strawberries. Their wholesale price fell from 80 MDL/kg ($4.34/kg) to 50 MDL/kg ($2.72/kg) in less than three weeks of April. In the retail markets of Chisinau, they are sold at 55-65 MDL/kg ($2.99-3.54/kg), in supermarkets – up to 70 MDL/kg ($3.81/kg). By the way, this is the “bazaar” price for high-quality imported cucumbers, caliber 6-9 cm.

Offers to sell the first Moldovan strawberries in social networks have provoked hundreds of responses, mostly negative. Most of the commentators said that they would not pay for the “unique taste” of local greenhouse berries twice as much as for imported strawberries “with the taste of cucumber or beets.”

Сообщение The first Moldovan greenhouse strawberries are two times more expensive than the imported ones появились сначала на EastFruit.

Experts of the EastFruit project report that Ukrainian onion growers are forced to reduce the prices. According to them, the reason for this price trend was the increase in the supply of onions on the market, caused by increased onion imports from Poland and the Netherlands.

As a result, today onions from local farms are offered at 10-14 UAH/kg ($0.34-0.48/kg), which is on average 14% cheaper than at the end of the last work week. At the same time, most market operators note that almost 80% of onions on the domestic market of the country are imported. The reason is that the main stocks of onions are currently concentrated in the southern regions of the country, which, due to constant hostilities, cannot ship to other regions.

Meanwhile, according to the growers themselves, the quality of onions in storage continues to deteriorate rapidly, which, in turn, may lead to a further decrease in selling prices in the segment.

Despite the reduction in the price of onions, today they cost on average 2.9 times more than in the same period last year in Ukraine. Key market players explain such a price difference by a break in supply chains in most of the country, which greatly complicates the supply of both local and imported onions.

Сообщение Onion prices in Ukraine are falling due to imports появились сначала на EastFruit.

EastFruit specialists analyze the potato planting season in Georgia, which starts in March. Official data for March 2022 show an 8% year-on-year increase in seed potato imports. Compared to the March average for the previous 8 years, imports are up 15%. Notably, seed potato importers have had to pay more this year, with dollar import prices up 10% from March 2021 levels and 25% above the March 2014-2021 average.

The increase in seed potato imports, despite the higher price, may indicate that Georgian farmers still have high hopes for quality potatoes. Seed potatoes are mainly imported from Europe, they produce a good harvest and are demanded by buyers.

Although the cost of seed potatoes is a significant factor, their price may be the least of the concerns for Georgian farmers. Market participants emphasize that other production costs have also risen much. Growing potatoes in Georgia in 2022 is almost twice as expensive compared to the previous season.

EastFruit is receiving reports that farmers in Kvemo Kartli, the second largest producing region in Georgia, have planted more potatoes than last year. It should be noted that potato planting has not yet begun in the largest producing region, Samtskhe-Javakheti. So, costs have risen, but it still looks like production will rise as well. What is the reason for these actions of farmers?

Many Georgian producers believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will undermine food security in the region. Thus, farmers believe that producing more is the right move, even at a double cost. However, there are concerns that the overall quality may suffer due to the very high prices of consumables. Some farmers may not be able to do all the work as planned. Market participants report that prices for diesel fuel, herbicides and fertilizers used in growing potatoes have increased by 70-100% compared to 2021.

Сообщение The cost of growing potatoes in Georgia will rise sharply in 2022 появились сначала на EastFruit.

Ukrainian potato growers are again forced to reduce prices, EastFruit project analysts report. To date, there is an excess supply of potatoes on the Ukrainian market. Most local farmers are trying to sell them as quickly as possible, since the quality of potatoes in storage continues to deteriorate rapidly.

According to the daily monitoring of the project, wholesale prices for potatoes in Ukraine have now dropped to 4-10 UAH/kg ($0.14-0.34/kg), which is on average 18% cheaper than at the end of the last work week. The main reason for the price decline in the domestic market was the increase in the supply of both imported and local potatoes. According to the wholesale companies, the Ukrainian market now offers high-quality last year’s potatoes produced in Poland. Moreover, prices for imported potatoes are announced in the same range as for local ones.

It is worth noting that currently potatoes in Ukraine are on average 25% cheaper than at the beginning of April 2021. At the same time, given the rather large volumes of potatoes on the market, Ukrainian farmers do not exclude the possibility of further price reduction in the segment.

Сообщение Prices for potatoes in Ukraine keep declining появились сначала на EastFruit.

The weather in Moldova has been very unstable over the past two weeks: a sharp warming has been replaced by cooling. In the next day, there will be a big difference between day and night air temperatures, and there may be moisture on the soil. For this reason, the already delayed start of the sales season of local strawberries grown in greenhouses will be delayed by about a week more – by the end of the first decade of May.

Earlier, EastFruit reported that only a few producers of greenhouse strawberries from the southern regions of Moldova will have time to harvest the first batches of early berries by the pre-Easter peak of sales of expensive food products (Orthodox Easter in 2022 falls on April 24). In previous years with mild winters and early springs, sales of local greenhouse strawberries could start in mid-April.

Further delayed start of sales of local berries weakens the potential position of their producers. From the beginning of February to the beginning of April, prices for imported (Greek and Turkish) strawberries in Moldovan retail decreased on average from 180-200 MDL/kg to 60-90 MDL/kg ($3.2-4.9/kg). During this period, strawberries became available not only in supermarket chains in Chisinau, but also in boutique retail and even in some markets. The quality, or at least, the appearance of strawberries, has not yet deteriorated, as it sometimes happens a few weeks before the start of mass sales of the first Moldovan strawberries.

There is another circumstance that should not be discounted. Players of the Ukrainian berry market were not usually major suppliers of early greenhouse berries to Moldova. However, due to the expected reduction in demand in the domestic market of the neighboring belligerent country, and the still unclear prospects for the export of Ukrainian strawberries to the EU, a part of them may be exported to Moldova. Given the small size of the Moldovan market and its low paying capacity, even a modest import of Ukrainian berries may well decrease the prices for greenhouse strawberries. In other words, you should not count on high starting prices for local greenhouse strawberries.

Сообщение Local greenhouse strawberries will become available on the Moldovan market later, with lower starting prices появились сначала на EastFruit.

The volume of banana imports to Uzbekistan in March 2022 amounted to 15 400 tonnes, which is almost three times higher than in the same period in 2021, EastFruit analysts report, citing official data on imports of main food products.

In total, Uzbekistan imported 40 100 tonnes of bananas from the beginning of January to the end of March 2022, which is 2.5 times more than in January-March 2021 and almost 4 times more than in January-March 2020.

The sharp increase in banana consumption in Uzbekistan last year was noted by EastFruit experts as one of the TOP-10 fruit and vegetable events of 2021. In the first quarter of 2022, the upward trend in the consumption of bananas even accelerated. The growth rate of banana consumption in January-March 2022 compared to the same months in 2021 was higher than that in 2021 as a whole. For comparison: in total, Uzbekistan imported 89 400 tonnes of bananas in 2021, which is 2.4 times more than in 2020.

One of the factors in the growth of banana consumption in Uzbekistan was the removal of customs duties on banana imports. In October 2021, the country’s government decided to stimulate the imports of a number of fruits by exempting their import from import duties. Bananas were included in the list. The government’s decision to remove the duties served as an additional incentive for the growth of consumption of bananas in Uzbekistan in the last months of 2021 and January-March 2022, since import statistics showed a solid increase in the volume of banana imports to Uzbekistan even before October 2021.

Сообщение Uzbekistan almost tripled banana imports in March 2022 появились сначала на EastFruit.

Prices for greenhouse cucumbers continue to grow rapidly in Ukraine, according to EastFruit project analysts. Price growth in the segment accelerated several times compared with the last week. In conditions of high demand in the market, there was a shortage of supply of greenhouse cucumbers already in the first half of the week. Deliveries of imported cucumbers decreased significantly due to logistical problems, and importers refuse to supply them to the Ukrainian market due to high financial risks, despite the steady growth in cucumber prices on the domestic market.

Read also: Prices for imported tomatoes are rapidly increasing in Ukraine

Thus, greenhouse cucumbers have grown in price by an average of 17% since the beginning of the week, and today they are sold at 65-100 UAH/kg ($2.22-3.42/kg). According to representatives of greenhouse farms, in addition to increased demand in this segment, the reduction in the supply of greenhouse cucumbers from Ukrainian plants stimulates their price growth. This is due to the fact that ripening of cucumbers in greenhouses slowed down significantly because of the cold snap, leading to a decrease in stocks in farms.

Notably, greenhouse cucumbers in Ukraine are currently 60^% more expensive than at the beginning of April last year. Meanwhile, most of the key market players agree that a new price increase in the segment may be a temporary phenomenon. Greenhouse cucumber deliveries from the main production regions began to improve this week. As soon as warm weather settles in, the selection of cucumbers in local greenhouse plants will begin to increase, causing a decrease in selling prices in the segment.

Сообщение Prices for greenhouse cucumbers in Ukraine grow for the second week in a row появились сначала на EastFruit.