July 12 2006, 11:24

For the first time in recent years, Zakarpattya canneries are close to fully satisfy their needs for cucumber

Poor cucumber harvest has been observed in several recent years. This factor was combined with constantly growing demand for this commodity from the side of canneries. As a result, canneries were not able to purchase the required volumes of cucumber; they had to either reduce production or replace cucumber with some other vegetables in order to load processing capacities of their plants.

Cucumber purchase was the most complicated problem in Zakarpattya where the concentration of enterprises - cucumber purchasers and processors - is the highest in Ukraine. The competition is really severe on raw material market; the prices jump up as a result. Around ten enterprises purchase cucumber in the oblast, including such large plants as MIKALAND, VERES, UNIVER, GREEN RAY, CORADO CANNING Inc.

Weather favored cucumbers this year. And, cucumber cultivation areas were much extended. Cucumber acreage growth is assessed to reach 30%, according to data provided by Julia Olifirenko, the Director of CORADO CANNING Inc. We can hope this year that the demand of processing enterprises for cucumber will be fully satisfied. To the contrary, past year the purchase plans were fulfilled 60% in average; some plants purchased only 30% of the needed volumes.

Cucumber price has been stable for the third week already, according to information provided by Zakarpattya office, Agricultural Marketing Project. Large cucumber is purchased for $0.11-0.17/kg; enterprises pay $0.29-0.49/kg for pickling. This price is twice as less comparing to cucumber price observed past year. And, the purchased volumes are significantly larger. At the same time, the local price is in average 50% high the price paid by processors in other oblasts. Still, to the present moment the transportation cost makes unfeasible cucumber supplies from other oblasts to Zakarpattya canneries.