December 17 2007, 15:55

Vegetable and fruit prices to sharply increase in January-April

The analysts of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly forecast, Ukrainian consumers will have to face the unprecedented price growth for fruits and vegetables in the coming months. The prices for Ukrainian traditional vegetables, such as carrot, table beet and cabbage will increase the most. Also, to the experts' opinion, there is a great possibility of the price increase for dessert apple. At the same time, the consumers may be somewhat conformed with the fact that the prices for potato, the "first bread" for Ukrainians, won't probably increase much.

According to Andriy Yarmak, the head of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" project, the main reason of the possible price growth for vegetables is the declined production 2007, which was the result of the unfavorable weather conditions in summer on the background of the reduction of the cultivation areas in spring. At the same time, to the expert's opinion, potato production in 2007 increased thanks to the extension of cultivation areas and the increased number of professional growers of this crop in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the analysts of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" explain the possibility of price increase for apple by 40-50% reduced apple production in the neighboring Poland which traditionally was the major supplier of apples to Ukraine in December-March. Right now the prices for Polish apple are more than twofold as high than in 2006, that's why the apples of Moldovan origin enjoy good demand on market. We should expect the supplies of apples from other countries to also increase.

We'd like to remind that the more detailed price forecast for fruits and vegetables next season, and also the weekly analysis of fruit and vegetable markets of Russia and Ukraine are available for the subscribers of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly.