Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Ukraine: prices of apples for processing rapidly up
Prices of apples for processing have been rapidly growing in Ukraine, according to Fruit-Inform: raw apples have become averagely 25% more expensive over the past week.
Now apples for processing are shipped at UAH 1-2/kg (USD 0.05-0.09/kg), while a week before prices were not higher than UAH 1.80/kg (USD 0.07/kg). Prices have been growing thanks to juice factories' high demand for apples against a background of rather low supply of apples for processing in Ukraine. It should be noted that current prices are the highest over all history of independent Ukraine with previous August maximum of UAH 1.25/kg having been registered only in 2013.
At the same time, processors do not plan to reduce their apple processing volumes despite a rapid increase in prices of raw produce.
«We have already received some orders for our end products from European companies», says a Ukrainian AJC manufacturer. «Moreover, current purchase prices for AJC are 50-70% higher year-on-year; therefore, we are ready to pay more for raw produce, as we stand a good chance to face a successful AJC sales season».
We would remind you that AJC prices reached their record low last year: factories were ready to ship unclarified AJC at 450 euro/MT in September 2014. However, prices have reached 800-850 euro/MT by the end of the previous season.