October 6 2010, 12:00 Fruit-Inform

Ukraine has the highest prices for onions in Europe

According to Fruit-Inform, wholesale prices for onions from filed reach EUR 0.30-0.35/kg (UAH 3.20-2.70/kg) in main producing regions in Ukraine. In some regions they are even at the level of EUR 0.40/kg for produce of relatively high quality. Notwithstanding prices for onions to have slightly decreased for the last weeks, Ukraine leads in price level among major onion producing and consuming countries in Europe.

For comparison, in neighboring Russia where Ukraine usually exports onions to, prices for them do not exceed EUR 0.24/kg in producing regions, EUR 30-32/kg – in Moscow. In the Netherlands, onions from field may be purchased at EUR 0.13-0.16/kg, in Poland and Germany – at EUR 0.16-0.20/kg. So, prices for onions in Ukraine are three times higher than in the Netherlands.

In the same time, official exports of onions from the Netherlands to Ukraine are complicated. Taking into account transport costs, import duty, VAT, and cost of customs clearance, price for onions must be not less than EUR 0.45/kg. Meanwhile, recently, an information of gray imports of onions from frontier regions of Poland to Western Ukraine emerged. In view of difference in prices, this hypothesis is theoretically possible.