March 28 2011, 10:44 Fruit-Inform

Growth of fruit and veg prices accelerating in Ukraine

Fruit-Inform Project's fruit and vegetable index shows that fruits and vegetables have further grown in price by 2.7% in Ukraine during last week. So prices, notwithstanding already record-breaking level, were growing even quicker than a week earlier. In such a way, fruit and vegetable produce has already increased in price by 12% since the beginning of March.

If a week earlier the price growth took place solely due to traditional borsch vegetables (onions, cabbage, beets, and carrots), than last week the prices grew for all major categories of fruit and vegetable produce including greenhouse vegetables having been previously decreasing in price. The highest price increase was registered for fruits, predominantly due to the further price surge of apples.

“Notwithstanding record production, domestic apples stocks in the market have been almost run out so further price growth was necessary for encouragement of the apple imports to the country”, Andriy Yarmak, Head of Fruit-Inform Project, tells. “This season's decrease in apples stocks in Ukraine was a result of good internal demand and active export to Russia; however, the latest price surge makes sales in the domestic market to be more attractive”, the expert continues.

We should note that last week the largest price increase was registered for greenhouse cucumbers: 33% at once. Such price growth was a result of low demand for this commodity and increase in export shipments. Among other categories sharply grown in price last week, we may as well mention table beets. Prices kept on increasing also for carrots, and this led to decrease in their exports.