March 27 2006, 15:30

This month greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes are cheaper, and root crops prices increase

The analysts of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly journal of Ukrainian produce business inform that the retail prices on greenhouse vegetables have decreased significantly since the previous month. Greenhouse cucumbers cheapened 23%, tomatoes 20%. Vegetable price decrease was stimulated by increased supply of the national greenhouse vegetables, so that imported produce is being forced out of Ukrainian market. In particular, the specialists of the Agricultural Marketing Project report that Turkish greenhouse tomato is poorly presented today on Kyiv wholesale market. Despite of the fact that Turkish tomatoes were more attractive visually and supplied in better packages, the consumers preferred to buy the produce supplied by the national greenhouse complexes, though the prices on Turkish and Ukrainian products were equal.

The price for greenhouse bell pepper has not practically changed this month, as this product was mainly supplied to Ukrainian markets from the other countries, as before. To the opinion of the experts of the Agricultural Marketing Project, a significant price decrease on national greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers will be possible when the market is saturated with the produce grown in the forcing frames. For example, past year the prices on vegetables from Ukrainian greenhouse complexes were kept relatively high till mid May.

The price growth on root beets and cabbage is observed this month. An average retail price on carrot increased 12%, on red beets and potato 6%, white cabbage 5% in average. At the same time, white cabbage cheapened in the southern regions and went up in price in the central and western oblasts of Ukraine.