Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Poltava oblast extends the water-melon production lands
The farmers of Kobelyaki and Novy Sanzhary rayons, Poltava oblast, traditionally produce water-melons; in 2005 they plan to extend the acreage of water-melon production lands. This information was provided by Yuriy Konyajev, Economist-Administrative Specialist of Poltava office of Agricultural Marketing Project (AMP).
As he said, farmers of these regions plan to make emphasis on the late water-melon variety production; as for the early varieties, Poltava farmers still are not able to compete with the water-melon producers from the southern oblasts of Ukraine, where the production costs much cheaper.
The growth of water-melon production rates in the southern rayons of Poltava oblast, most probably, is the result of high price for this commodity observed in 2004 when the unfavorable weather conditions negatively influenced the water-melon yield here. According to the evaluations of AMP analysts, in 2005 the water-melon cultivation may also significantly increase in the leading producer oblasts.