AgriNews RSS

December 22 2005, 11:20 Agrarian Marketing Project

Active sales of vegetable seeds go on this season

Seed sales season 2005/2006 will be more successful for seed companies than 2004, as the experts think. Based on the general forecast of vegetable production increase, and more professional level gained by some producers, the demand on quality seeds is growing. Besides, high prices on vegetables in 2005 let the farmers earn enough money to start purchasing seeds earlier than before - by now many farms have been completely provided with seeds. This season the share of hybrid seeds continued to extend in the total sales structure. The professional vegetable producers are growing in number; as the seed sellers say those who tried growing hybrids once, have never turned back to the traditional varieties. The farmers are ready to pay 5-10 times more for hybrid seeds compared to the variety seeds. Hybrids possess a number of advantages: they ripen equally, have unified quality of the products, less suffer from diseases and weather conditions, have a better marketable look and taste peculiarities, and, the most important, they perform a very high yield comparing to the traditional varieties.

Grigoriy Ivanov, the Regional Manager of Clause Tezier company in Ukraine, Russia and Moldova, points out the increased sales of Broccoli cabbage this season. This fact followed the grown demand from the sides of both fresh market and processing enterprises. In particular, the volumes of broccoli for processing have increased much recently. There is an interest for less popular, but rather perspective crop - kohlrabi. The western regions of Ukraine know this crop well, but the central and eastern Ukrainian regions do not produce it.

Mr. Ivanov prognosed 10-15% growth of sales for early cabbage seeds, and even more rapid growth of seed sales for medium and medium-late cabbage varieties. The experts of the Agricultural Marketing Project explain this forecast by the stable shortage of medium and medium-late cabbage on market in July-August, and, by the consequent high prices on cabbage in this period.

The process of vegetable market structuring and professionalism influences much the seed sales situation. There are less unprofessional producers than before, the production becomes specialized, and it is adapted to the increased demand and consumers' requirements. For example, tomato production tends to diversify tomatoes for fresh market and for processing. The share of special tomato varieties and hybrids for processing is constantly increasing; it has reached 25-30% by now. Canneries do not want an ordinary tomato - they need tomato that satisfies the definite requirements special for processing into tomato paste or for pickling.

Mr. Ivanov pointed out that more greenhouses started to produce medium-length cucumber varieties (18-20sm) instead of cornichon because of the greater yield and profitability. Talking about pepper production, the traditional varieties became less popular; there is a trend to produce cube-shaped red pepper and pepper for freezing. Egg-plant and squash producers are actively choosing for hybrids characterized by richer yield and quality.

Topic materials