January 17 2007, 08:54

Ukraine: tough times for the companies to sell carrot

At the present moment many vendors experience problems to sell carrot; they do not forecast the price growth for this produce soon.

The carrot production was top record in 2006; it reached 768,000 tons according to the forecasts of the Agricultural Marketing Project. The harvest is almost 20% greater than in 2005. The production growth was mostly caused by the extension of carrot cultivation areas under influence of high carrot prices set in the seasons 2004/05 and 2005/06. The current price situation on carrot market fully corresponds to the forecast introduced by the Agricultural Marketing Project in September 2006: "The specialists of the Agricultural Marketing Project believe that the production increase of carrot will considerably influence the price situation on carrot market. One should not expect for a dramatic price decrease; however, an average price level for carrot will be lower in the season 2006/07 than in the season 2005/06. We remind that in the season 2005/06 carrot prices kept on the level $0.23-0.49/kg in the period September 2005 till January 2006. Then the prices started to violently grow up to the level of $0.78-0.98/kg in June 2006 on the wholesale markets".

At the present moment carrot costs $0.15-0.19/kg on the wholesale markets. As for the additionally handled carrot, the vendors offer calibrated/washed product for up to $0.27/kg.