Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Ukraine unable to start exporting cauliflowers to EU due to lack of supply
Cauliflower prices have been rapidly growing in Ukraine thanks to high demand for produce in the market.
“As distinct from previous years, when the demand for cauliflowers was shown by Ukrainian processors and small middlemen, now Ukrainian cauliflowers are in high demand in the EU market; therefore, prices of Ukrainian produce have already reached UAH 10-11/kg (EUR 0.36-0.40/kg). Despite that, Ukrainian exporters are facing problems with sourcing necessary volumes. Ukrainian cauliflowers are now one of the most attractive crop in the Polish market, where the supply is rather limited”, says Ms. Zoryana Pastuschuk, International Relations Manager at Shuvar Wholesale Market. “For comparison, current wholesale prices of cauliflowers fixed in Poland vary between 0.95-1.10/kg, while prices in Ukraine take just a third of those levels”.
Meanwhile, exporters have faced serious problems with finding necessary volumes for export. “Areas under cauliflowers amount to 2,000-2,500 ha in Ukraine, while white cabbage is grown on the areas, which are 30 times as large. In addition, an average area under cauliflowers grown by commercial farms is about 1-2 ha. As a result, a Ukrainian farm is able to offer 3-5 tons of cauliflowers, and it takes several days to make an export consignment. A minimum volume of an export shipment has to amount to 10-15 tons of high-quality cauliflowers, which must be graded and packed according to European buyers’ requirements”, says Mrs. Tetiana Getman, Eastern European Fruit & Vegetable Market Expert.
Quality of cauliflowers is also a problem in this season. “Hot weather conditions negatively affect quality of crops in the fields in the southern and central regions, while abundant rainfall does not enable to start harvesting in the western ones”, says Ms. Vita Khodnovskaya, Category Manager at Shuvar Wholesale Market. “As a result, the supply of cauliflowers is rather limited now, while prices of high-quality produce are already 40% higher year-on-year”.