Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Frosts Kill Part of the Stored Carrot, Potato and Cabbage Supplies
There is a shortage of carrots and potatoes in the market and prices are increasing, vendors and buyers both say. Specialists consider the continuous trend of carrot price increases as a distinct possibility. Presently, wholesale prices on carrots is seldom lower $0.39/kg and the resale price of quality carrots to supermarkets can be $0.68/kg, this according to information provided by "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" journal.
The carrot trade is currently quiet in the wholesale markets. Furthermore, no carrots have been supplied today to some of them. For example, there were no wholesale carrot sets for sale at the Kyiv FARMER market (Troyeshchina) or L'viv's SHUVAR market. One problem being, during the time of extreme frosts hardly any produce was supplied from the regions. The trucks could not transport the produce, as there was a threat the root crops would freeze during transport and it was too expensive to deliver the produce in the special insulated vehicles.
Low temperatures added to the apprehensive situation in the market, as the owners of piles, clamps and other kinds of storages could not open them to check the condition of the produce after the severe frosts. They are left only to guess whether or not there are carrots available or if there is nothing left to sell.
Specialists from the Agricultural Marketing Project have learned that tons of carrots froze even in storage with 60 cm concrete walls. If carrots were injured by frosts even in storage such as that it is highly probably that products stored in piles and clamps were also frozen and damaged. A great deal of the harvest is stored in this way. However, the fact remains that vegetable producers did everything possible to insulate their storage facilities and we can hold out some hope for the survival of at least part of the harvest. The good news is that it appears frosts killed only a small part of the carrots, cabbage, potatoes and red beets stored by wholesalers.
Last year a shortage of carrots was also observed in Ukraine, but it was detected later, closer to April, when the majority of storages had been already emptied. At that point wholesale carrot prices jumped to record levels of $0.98-1.37/kg. This year companies have kept in mind last year's situation and carrots are being sold at slower rates in the hope of future price increases. On one hand, there may be a chance to avoid astronomical carrot prices on the market later this spring. But on the other hand, carrot prices will stay fairly high until the next season. Still, we can truly predict pricing trends for potatoes, carrots, cabbages, red beets and onions only after producers can check their storage supplies and a majority of them are not going to be doing it anytime soon.