September 22 2006, 14:00

Ukraine exports first shipments of onion to Poland!

According to information provided to "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" journal, at the present moment something special is happening on Ukrainian onion market: Ukrainian companies are exporting onion to Poland. One year ago nobody would ever believed it. Though export shipments of onion are seldom, the fact itself is mind-blowing for the market.

Traditionally Poland was one of the main onion suppliers to the markets of Ukraine, where onion met demand thanks to a quite good quality and reasonable price. However, in recent years supplies of this commodity from Poland became less popular because of the development of modern technologies of onion production in Ukraine. This year, after Polish onion producers had badly suffered from drought, onion prices in Poland exceeded highly the prices in Ukraine for the first time during many years. At the present moment an average wholesale price for onion in Kyiv is around 30-35% lower, than in Warsaw. At that, onion prices in the main produce regions of Ukraine are 20-25% lower than in Kyiv. Taking into account bad onion harvest in many EU countries and high prices for this commodity, and the fact that Ukraine gathers a record onion harvest this year, as the analysts forecast, onion export from Ukraine becomes quite possible.

According to some market specialists, onion export shipments to Poland do not necessarily mean that this onion will be consumered in this very country. Most probably, some Polish suppliers, having contractual commitments with companies from other West-Europeanan countries, are trying to implement these contracts purchasing onion from Ukraine. As explained by Andriy Yarmak, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Marketing Project, onion production in Ukraine will exceed 60-70% onion production in Poland this year. Thanks to this, Ukraine is able to join eleven biggest world onion producers. As to the estimates of the Agricultural Marketing Project, Ukraine sent for export the record amount of vegetable crops this year. Watermelons were shipped for export most of all. Besides, such vegetables as bell pepper, egg-plants, tomato and even fresh field cucumber were exported very actively. Traditionally, Ukrainian growers of greenhouse production exported greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers. It should also be stated that, having a record export of vegetables this year, Ukraine will have record fruit import too.

Activation of international fruit and vegetables trade, according to the specialists of the Agricultural Marketing Project, is one of the key-reasons of essential growth of foreign companies' interest to the third international conference-exhibition "Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine - 2006. Open Market" which will take place on the 5-6th of December 2006 in Kyiv on the territory of NC "Expocenter of Ukraine".