Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Ukrainian farmers stop aubergine harvesting campaign due to low prices
Aubergine prices turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for Ukrainian farmers this year.
For the present, Ukrainian farms’ prices of aubergines vary between UAH 1.50-1.80/kg (EUR 0.05-0.06/kg), and such price levels are unable to compensate harvesting costs. As a result, many farms decided to stop their harvesting campaign.
“Price collapse in the Ukrainian aubergine market this year is connected with higher production and lower demand for aubergines shown by processors and exporters. Ukrainian canning factories reduced their aubergine processing volumes due to Russia’s ban on imports from Ukraine. Meanwhile, it is very difficult to improve the situation by sales in the fresh market, as Russia has again been the largest export destination for Ukrainian aubergines. There are problems with entrance to the EU market, as quality of Ukrainian produce often does not satisfy European buyers’ requirements”, comments Mrs. Tetiana Getman, Eastern European Fruit & Vegetable Market Expert.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Getman believes that the EU market price situation is rather favorable for the start of Ukrainian exports. For example, aubergine prices vary between 0.34-0.45 euro/kg in neighboring Poland, 7 times as high as in Ukraine.