July 20 2007, 15:45

Ukraine: prices for melons to dramatically decline

The specialists of ""Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" project" inform about the larger shipments of watermelons and melons supplied from the farms of the southern regions of Ukraine to the country markets. The sellers fail to keep the sales prices high and to maintain the same sales rates at a time, despite of the great demand for this crop. So, the average wholesale prices for watermelons have declined approximately 60-80%, for melons - 30-50% during this week. Despite of the prices still lower the past year data, the analysts think that we should not expect the same dramatic price drop as in 2006. Such conclusions are mostly predetermined by the possible reduction of the gross harvest and the expected growth of this crop export. Nevertheless, the season of late watermelon and melon varieties will start in August in Ukraine; the wholesale prices are likely to further decline.