August 28 2006, 10:23

Cheap cucumber makes canneries postpone tomato processing to a later date

In the last decade of August Zakarpattya canneries traditionally finish cucumber processing and start producing canned tomatoes. However, this year the situation is developing differently. Because of excessive cucumber supply, canneries prefer to postpone tomato processing and continue producing canned cucumber. This information was provided by Zakarpattya office, Agricultural Marketing Project to "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" journal.

Due to favorable weather conditions and extended cucumber acreage and greater cucumber yields, all Zakarpattya canneries have fulfilled the plans. Some enterprises produced canned cucumber in excess of the plan. Nevertheless, canneries continue purchasing cucumbers. The purchase price for cucumber has been declined $0.04/kg comparing to the previous prices set up in July. As of late August, picklings of the first group are purchased for $0.35/kg, picklings of the second group cost $0.25/kg.

In addition to the prolonged period of cucumber canning, the enterprises have implemented one more novelty this year. They put cucumbers for temporary storage. Raw materials are preliminary canned in concrete tanks of 10-35 tons. These raw materials will be processed when the supply of field cucumbers is finished.

Two processing enterprises in Zakarpattya started purchase pepper for twice as lower price than it was a year ago. Pepper is also put for temporary storage.