Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Russians Actively Sells Potatoes to Ukraine
Potatoes, imported from Russia, are being actively sold in the wholesale markets of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kyiv and other cities of Eastern and Central Ukraine. Wholesale traders anonymously confirm this fact with a fair share of certainty. Portions of the potatoes being imported to Ukraine are probably not recorded in official statistics of trade between the two countries. This way vendors omit preparing various documents and avoid paying VAT (value added tax). Hence why a majority of the traders do not want to acknowledge the Russian origin of the product. Potatoes are generally supplied from the Belgorod oblast. Demand on potatoes is high and there are few problems to selling their inventory vendors say.
Russian potatoes are of higher quality than the Ukrainian product yet the price is the same. Presently the wholesale price on potatoes fluctuates between $ 0.33-0.37/kg in the Ukrainian markets; high quality potatoes can cost up to $ 0.43/kg. High prices have been caused by a poor potato harvest. The Agricultural Marketing Project estimates 20% fewer potatoes were harvested this year than in 2004.