May 17 2006, 14:15

Tomato hybrids are used now 60% more in industrial tomato production in Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts

About one third of gross tomato production in Ukraine is grown in Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts. Fedor Rybalko, the Business Development Specialist, Southern Ukraine Vegetable Supply Chain Development Project, says that this year professional producers have increased approximately 60% the acreage planted with hybrids. Past year hybrids occupied around 15% of the total tomato acreage - this year the share will reach 35%. Seed sellers also confirm this trend, as they have recorded the respective growth of this sales segment.

Hybrids let producers have significantly greater tomato harvest of higher quality. And, hybrids fit to mechanical harvesting technology which is also developing now in the region. According to F. Rybalko, this year not less than five tomato harvesters will work on oblasts' fields. If the experience is positive, next year the number of harvesters will at least double.

It is expected that tomato transplants will be used more. In addition to higher yield, tomato transplants let producers harvest tomato earlier than usual. Consequently, the contracts with quite earlier terms of tomato supply can be signed with the processing enterprises. Besides, a part of early harvest can be sold on fresh market for attractive price. As for today, the acreage planted with tomato seedlings constitutes around 5% of the total tomato acreage on the professional farms. The acreage planted by transplants has extended 10%.

This year the experts of the Agricultural Marketing Project forecast 5% growth of the gross tomato acreage in Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts. However, working under contracts of tomato supply to the processing enterprises, the professional farmers will extend acreage 15% and more. A trend of the further farm enlargement is still observed in the region, as some farms are going to produce more than 10,000 tons of tomatoes this year.

At the same time, many producers anticipate tomato overproduction, and the experts can not rule out this possibility. As is known, the processing enterprises have already fully contracted the needed tomato volumes. It is practically impossible to sign a contract for tomato supply now. That's why major producers have to rely on market's whims, counting on tomato supplies to the other regions and viable price. But, according to past year experience, tomato price declined to the critical minimum in the South of Ukraine during the period of mass harvesting. So, some tomato producers can probably find it unprofitable to harvest tomatoes, which are left on fields in such case.