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.

Most Ukrainian producers have announced the completion of sales of cabbage of the 2021 harvest, EastFruit project analysts say. Today the supply of last year’s cabbage on the market has significantly decreased, while the demand is quite high. Thus, farmers, who still have cabbage from the 2021 crop in their stocks, began to raise prices.

According to the project’s daily monitoring data, prices for last year’s cabbage in Ukrainian farms rose by an average of 19% over the week. Today, farmers sell it at 14-18 UAH/kg ($0.48-0.62/kg).

First of all, a significant reduction in the supply of cabbage on the market caused by the depletion of stocks in the farms allows producers to raise prices. At the same time, the demand has grown much this week, which also keeps prices up.

It should be noted that current prices for cabbage harvested in 2021 in Ukraine are already on average 2.8 times higher than last year.

Сообщение Prices for last year’s cabbage went up in Ukraine появились сначала на EastFruit.

In Ukraine, prices for last year’s white cabbage began to decline, EastFruit project analysts report. According to experts, the reason for the reduction was the decrease in trade and purchasing on the part of wholesale companies and retail chains. Also, pressure on prices for last year’s cabbage is exerted by a decrease in prices for early cabbage. At the same time, according to the project, the quality of cabbage on the Ukrainian market is in most cases low due to long-term storage.

In particular, on Friday 22 April Ukrainian producers offeedr last year’s white cabbage at 11-16 UAH/kg ($0.38-0.55/kg), which is 24% cheaper on average than in the previous week. According to project experts, the reason is a decrease in demand for last year’s cabbage from Ukrainian farms, caused by increased supply from Poland. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the price of last year’s imported cabbage on the Ukrainian market actually corresponds to the prices for cabbage from local farms.

Prices for last year’s cabbage in Ukraine are still at a fairly high level. For comparison: in the second half of April 2021, producers sold them on average 1.7 times cheaper than now.

Сообщение Last year’s white cabbage becomes cheaper in Ukraine появились сначала на EastFruit.

Prices for early cabbage in Ukraine have dropped sharply this week, EastFruit project analysts report. The reason for the negative price trends in the segment of new crop cabbage was the seasonal increase in its supply on the market, as well as rather low demand.

Thus, the first batches of cabbage harvested in 2022 became available on the market 2 weeks ago, and then the prices were in the range of 35-40 UAH/kg ($1.20-1.37/kg). Today, Ukrainian growers sell early cabbage in the range of 20-27 UAH/kg ($0.68-0.92/kg), which is on average 37% cheaper than the first batches.

It should be noted that the current price of early cabbage in Ukraine is already on average 10% lower than in the same period last year. At the same time, many key players expect further price reductions in the new crop cabbage segment. They argue their opinion by the fact that the majority of Ukrainian growers are currently experiencing difficulties with selling their products due to the disruption in the supply chains in most of the country.

Сообщение In Ukraine, the prices of early cabbage have collapsed 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.

Farmers are resuming work in the liberated regions of Ukraine, in particular in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy regions. Of course, this is not easy to do – some of the fields are mined, some bridges and roads are destroyed. However, Ukrainian growers of potatoes, vegetables and grains do not stop. “Roads are destroyed, logistics are broken, there is a shortage of fuel and fertilizers… but we are Ukrainians, we are stubborn and purposeful,” says Mykola Gordiychuk, director of Agrico Ukraine, which supplies Ukrainian farmers with high-quality seed potatoes.

In a commentary for SEEDS, Mykola Gordiychuk spoke about how Ukrainian suppliers and producers of potatoes work during a war.

– The situation in the entire agricultural sector, which is strategically important for Ukraine, is still quite complicated. What are the most pressing issues for potato growers?

– The first problem is logistics, delivery of fertilizers, fuel. We cannot buy fertilizers and bring them to our farms in the Chernihiv region, because the bridges have been destroyed. There is only one bridge that can be crossed by a small car. The state is trying to help the agricultural sector, but today small farmers are mostly forced to solve problems on their own.

– What is happening to the demand for seed potatoes? Which varieties are in the highest demand?

– There is a demand for seed potatoes now. First of all, buyers are interested in early varieties, as they understand that the situation in the southern regions of Ukraine is difficult and most farms will not plant potatoes there, or they will not be able to sell them to other regions in time. Therefore, early varieties, such as “Riviera”, “Arizona”, are in great demand today.

But, again, there are logistical problems – for example, when it comes to the supply of seeds from the Kyiv region to the western regions of Ukraine. The cost of logistics services has tripled. Before the war we paid 15 000 UAH for a car, but now we pay 40 000-45 000 UAH for transporting the same 20 tonnes from Kyiv to Ternopil region.

– What are the current trends in the potato market?

– There are enough potatoes in Ukraine today. There is no shortage. The average price for potatoes in stores is quite normal – about 10-12 UAH per kilogram.

– Clearly, it is difficult to make any forecasts during the war, but still, what could this season be like for potato producers?

– Today it is difficult to forecast something. We still cannot say how many farmers will start works in the field. In the temporarily occupied or former occupied territories, many will not be able to carry out field work, since the fields are mined. They need to be cleared and farmers may not be able to start work on time. Now it’s hard to say. It will be possible to make forecasts for potatoes in late April – early May, when we know what areas have been planted.

Video: Preparing seed potatoes

– The majority of Ukrainian farmers helps the population and the defenders of Ukraine in this difficult time. Your company also provided aid. Tell about it.

– We helped several organizations that prepared food for the territorial defense of Kyiv and other settlements. This was especially true when the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions were occupied. Volunteers came to our warehouses in small cars, shipped 2 to 3 tonnes of potatoes every day. We also collaborated with retail chains. They took part of the potatoes for sale, and part for the supply of low-income citizens, who found themselves in difficult circumstances.

We tried to help in every way we could. I think that this is the task of every Ukrainian – to do everything possible to help the army and the country.

– What advice would you give to Ukrainian farmers?

– In this difficult time, first of all, you need to take care of people, your employees, because today there is a big problem of finding personnel, both in the occupied and liberated territories, and in the relatively safe western regions.

I also urge you to plant as many as possible – as many potatoes as you can, because after the victory we will need to feed the country.

Our task is to support the economic front and ensure the food security of Ukraine, so that our defenders and all citizens have what to eat after the victory. I believe that every effort should be made not to disrupt the sowing season, but to sow grain, plant potatoes and do other work on time, if possible.

I realize that the situation is really difficult for farmers today. Ports are blocked, many farmers cannot sell the grain they have left for export. Therefore, they do not have working capital and they have to allocate funds for seeds and other resources extremely rationally. But we must make every effort to do the spring field work and provide the country with food.

Сообщение “We are stubborn and purposeful”: potato growers resume work in the liberated regions of Ukraine 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.

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.

According to the daily monitoring of the EastFruit project, interruptions in the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout Ukraine, due to hostilities in part of the country, have a large impact on the level of wholesale and retail prices in the fruit and vegetable segment on the Polish market. In particular, Polish producers report that carrot prices have risen significantly this week.

Today, most Polish export-oriented companies deliver carrots to Ukraine, while their supply on the Polish market is also rapidly declining, causing a significant increase in prices in this segment.

Read also: Food security and agricultural sector of Ukraine during the war

Most Polish grower currently do not sell carrots cheaper than $0.24-0.31/kg, which is on average 22% more expensive than last week.

As a result of this increase, carrot prices on the Polish market are on average 14% higher than at the end of March last year. Moreover, most market players are sure that prices in the segment will keep rising, as there is already a shortage of carrots on the market, while both domestic and export demand remains quite high.

Сообщение Exports of carrots to Ukraine caused a price increase on the Polish market появились сначала на EastFruit.

Round red greenhouse tomatoes in Ukraine have significantly increased in price over the past week, EastFruit project analysts report. At the end of the last week wholesale prices for greenhouse tomatoes were in the range of 50-70 UAH/kg ($1.71-2.39/kg), but the price range increased to 60-80 UAH/kg ($2. 05-2.73/kg) by the end of the current week. Meanwhile, increasingly often sellers in the largest wholesale markets in various regions of Ukraine set selling prices for small wholesale lots of tomatoes no cheaper than 90 UAH/kg ($3.07/kg).

Traditionally, the main supply on the Ukrainian market at this time of the year is tomatoes imported from Turkey, while at least 1 month remains before the start of a new crop rotation in local greenhouse complexes. There are no problems with the current crop of tomatoes in Turkey, but their prices in Ukraine continue to grow.

Despite the partial migration of the Ukrainian population to European countries, the reduction of consumers in the country’s territories occupied by russian troops, and the fact that tomatoes are not a primary necessity, prices in the segment keep rising.

First of all, the increase in prices in the tomato segment was influenced by the many times more expensive internal logistics in Ukraine. Also, it is physically impossible to deliver imported tomatoes, as well as other products, to some of the main consumption centers in the country due to active hostilities and partial temporary occupation of some regions of Ukraine by russian troops. The gradual devaluation of the hryvnia also cannot but affect the final prices of imported products.

According to the project specialists, prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Ukraine may stabilize in the near future, as a further rise in the price of a non-strategically important product will lead to a complete halt in sales. And as mentioned above, a new turnover in Ukrainian greenhouses at the end of April -beginning of May will be able to release the pressure in the greenhouse tomato market, but only if they are not located in the zone of active hostilities or in the territories occupied by russian troops.

Сообщение Prices for imported tomatoes are rapidly increasing in Ukraine появились сначала на EastFruit.