March 31 2006, 09:08

Retail potato prices are decreasing

The decrease of retail potato price is recorded in many regions of Ukraine; greater supply and harder pressure of the imported commodities stimulated this process on the city markets. During the recent weeks potato supply and the prices have not practically changed in the wholesale trade, so we can conclude that small houseplots supply more potato now on retail market omitting the wholesale market. Retail potato price has decreased 5-7% this week, according to the monitoring of the Agricultural Marketing Project.

Imported potato price is a limiting factor; today Egypt potato is present in practically all regions of Ukraine. Egypt potato costs $0.56-0.7/kg.

To the opinion of the analysts of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly journal, many small houseplots and private producers gave up potato production past season, and the yield decreased as well; lack of potato is a result.

In 2006 we should have expected potato production boom, but the producers do not extend acreages because of the expensive planting material and fears of low prices next season. In some cases farmers even have to reduce potato production fields. The detailed forecast of potato production will be published in the framework of fruit and vegetable production and prices forecast 2006 in the April issues of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly journal.