Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
In 2004 less vegetables were produced than expected earlier
Agricultural Marketing Project (AMP) conducted in January 2005 a new survey aimed at the specification of the prognosis of vegetable production in 2004, as the data of official statistics with crop specification have not been published yet. The survey was based on the producers interviews conducted in six oblasts where the Project works, and information obtained by AMP specialists from the other regions of Ukraine.
The evaluation of production of the major vegetable crops was decreased in Ukraine on 5%. The most significant decrease of the production evaluation is observed for steppe agriclimatic zone (-8%), at the same time as the production evaluation in Polissya zone was increased on 3%. So, it is prognosed that the production of the major vegetable crops in 2004 decreased on 7%, in spite of the planting acreage growth on 4%.
The decrease of vegetable production evaluation was predetermined, first of all, by the evaluation decrease for tomatoes (on 15%) and cucumbers (on 11%) owing to the unfavorable weather conditions. Besides, on 9% the onion production evaluation was decreased; many farmers were planning to produce onion, but the survey showed that they gave up this plans at the last moment or simply were not able to purchase seeds. The negative influence on the total onion harvest was caused by the fact that the major part of onion harvest 2004 was lost as an unstorageable and the total losses were greater than expected. Nevertheless, even according to the specified data, onion production was on 33% greater than in the previous year.
The insignificant increase of production evaluation was observed only on such crops as red beets and carrot.
We should mention that our evaluations differ from the preliminary evaluations done by State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, which prove 6% production growth for all vegetables and planting acreage decrease on 1% comparing to 2003