The season of local asparagus is gradually gaining momentum in Ukraine and prices are still holding at relatively high levels, EastFruit reports . The current season of asparagus in Ukraine started about two weeks later than last year , and prices for the first small wholesale batches were on average 15% higher.
At the moment, the supply of local asparagus on the Ukrainian market is still limited, and good quality products are offered at a rather high price. So, large producers who have contracts for the supply of asparagus to supermarket chains still manage to sell their products from UAH 200 / kg ($ 7.20 / kg), while on the supermarket shelves the retail price could reach up to UAH 500 / kg. ($ 18 / kg).
It is noteworthy that only a few large producers who have established contacts with retail chains can count on such price levels. In the meantime, the situation looks less rosy for small farmers. Thus, the active growth in the popularity of asparagus in Ukraine in the past few years has naturally led to an increase in the cultivated area with many small producers involved.
As a result, in the wholesale markets of the southern regions, where asparagus mature earlier, there are already offers of small wholesale lots of asparagus at prices around UAH 100 / kg, and the producers themselves receive an even lower price. In this case, we are talking about a low-quality product with frost damage or non-standard appearance and without packaging.
Regarding the expectation for the season, large producers will start the main supply of asparagus to supermarket chains and HoReCa enterprises only from next week. After an increase in supply, prices will naturally decrease, but it is still difficult to predict their exact level during the high season. On the one hand, the production of asparagus is definitely growing in Ukraine, and its supply is increasing significantly every year, putting pressure on prices in the market. On the other hand, the demand for asparagus in the current season will be higher thanks to the revitalization of HoReCa enterprises after the weakening of quarantine norms in the country. In addition, the range of prices in the market will continue to be very wide, as large producers working with supermarket chains will manage to keep the prices higher than small farmers.
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