Shortage of quality cabbage in Ukraine: why farmers are forced to rush to sell
23 October 16:41
FORECAST
The harvesting campaign for late cabbage in Ukraine is still underway, but the condition of the crop is already creating serious challenges for the market: a significant portion of the produce is not suitable for long-term storage due to thrips damage. EastFruit Weekly Ukraine project coordinator Oleksandr Khorev predicts that this factor, and not just the pace of harvesting, will cause price fluctuations, as farmers will be forced to sell low-quality crops quickly to avoid further losses.
“As for cabbage, again, price fluctuations can only be related to the pace of harvesting. For this crop, the harvesting of late varieties is only in its active phase.
Some farms harvest cabbage, as well as root crops, at the very last stage. This is usually the case when the first frosts occur, in October and November. That is, harvesting is still possible, but, as farmers themselves say, a lot of cabbage is not suitable for long-term storage.
It is damaged by thrips. This is a disease that simply kills the crop itself sometimes in a very short time. And to store such cabbage is to risk further losses for yourself. That’s why these products will be brought to the market in the first place, and we will try to sell them,” said
"Komersant Ukrainian" analyst.
According to Mr. Khorev, it is already obvious that the ratio between good and poor quality cabbage will be the main dictator of the trading conditions, determining the price dynamics until the New Year and in the second half of the season.
“It is not yet possible to say about the volumes and offers for the entire cabbage season, because the harvesting campaign is still ongoing. And it is the ratio of quality and low-quality cabbage that will dictate the trading conditions a month before the New Year and other months of the second half of the marketing season,” the expert summarized.
To recap, earlier
