Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Cabbage is going up in price in Ukraine too
As Agricultural Marketing Project (AMP) informed lately, despite of the decrease of cabbage production on 14-20% comparing to the previous year as a result of producing lands acreage contraction, the cabbage production rate was somewhat higher than the estimated annual consumption, to the opinion of analysts. However, just after the New Year holidays prices on this commodity started to increase rather dynamically in the central regions of Ukraine.
Sergiy Strokan, Market Information Specialist of Cherkasy AMP office, informs that this year oblast farmers cut down cabbage production lands on 35-40%, that let them relieve this market. In April-May 2004 cabbage was sold in wholesale not more than for USD $ 0.03-0.05/kg; already in November-December 2004, just after harvesting, wholesale price on this commodity was not lower than USD $ 0.07-0.09. In the beginning of January 2005 price growth on cabbage proceeded. According to information provided by Sergiy Strokan, in the last fortnight cabbage prices have increased on USD $ 0.02/kg - up to USD $ 0.13-0.15/kg, and retail price was achieving the level of USD $ 0.17/kg.
We should note that Cherkasy oblast farmers have advantages over the farmers from western regions of Ukraine on the cabbage market this year - they are located closer to the main consumption centers; it is an important factor in the conditions of rapid price growth on fuel. Analysts are united to think that price on cabbage will grow further; the reserves of this commodity stored by farmers of some regions are significantly lesser than in the previous year. The farmers themselves think that cabbage price will rise in March 2005 up to USD $ 0,37/kg