July 15 2005, 12:04 Agrarian Marketing Project

It is difficult for the canneries to purchase cucumber in 2005 as a year ago in Ukraine

This week nearly all canneries of Odesa oblast faced problems as for cucumber purchase. Exactly the growing demand on cucumber from the side of the processing enterprises of the southern regions of Ukraine fostered the relatively high prices on this produce.

The representatives of the canneries hope that they can purchase cucumber by more fair prices at the time starting from the bulk supply of field cucumber in the central region of Ukraine. At the same time, in the central regions of Ukraine the peaking of competition for the new cucumber harvest is observed. Some companies offer up to USD 1/kg for pickling and more than USD 0.39/kg for cornichon. The price on huge cucumber of cuke group reaches the level of USD 0.25-0.29/kg.

We'll also mention that earlier it was reported from the central regions of Ukraine that the cucumber harvest may be not so great as it was expected; it is the result of the diseases. However, the absolute majority of the producers think that in the whole the cucumber yield this year is much better than a year ago.

According to the forecast of the specialists of Agricultural Marketing Project, the cucumber yield will increase 20-25% in Ukraine comparing to the previous year. The excessive production of this produce is traditionally observed in Cherkasy, Kharkiv and Kyrovograd oblasts, and shortage - in Kyiv, Donetsk and Lviv oblasts. The deficit of cucumber for processing is especially severe in Zakarpattya and southern oblasts. But, Lviv oblast started to foster actively the cucumber production and is expecting now the record harvest.