Watermelons will become cheaper by August: scientist Victoria Rud about the market, prices, varieties and risks
9 July 17:38
INTERVIEW
The first Ukrainian watermelons are already on the shelves of shops and markets. However, their prices are not at all pleasing – the rise in price compared to the previous year is striking. This is not surprising, as the situation on the domestic watermelon market has changed significantly in recent years: due to the war, the industry lost a significant part of the acreage in the south of the country, logistics and production costs increased, and the share of imports increased significantly. Viktoriia Rud, a leading researcher at the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, told "Komersant Ukrainian" about how the watermelon market has changed, why you will have to pay a little more this summer, which regions have replaced Kherson region, and what will happen to prices in August.
What are the peculiarities of the 2025 watermelon season? Have we reached the pre-war volumes?
In 2021, the total gross harvest of watermelons in Ukraine amounted to 400.1 thousand tons. In 2023, it was about 216 thousand tons, which is almost half as much. In 2024, we managed to increase production by 8% to 235 thousand tons. Estimates for 2025 are still preliminary, but the harvest may reach 240-250 thsd tonnes, provided the weather is favorable and there is no active hostilities in the southern regions.
What is the price dynamics for the first watermelons this year?
As of the first week of July 2025, wholesale prices for watermelons range from 20-28 UAH/kg. Retail prices in supermarket chains are higher: ATB – 29.90 UAH/kg, Silpo – 32.40 UAH/kg, Novus – 36.99 UAH/kg.
For comparison, in the same period of 2024, wholesale prices started at 17-22 UAH/kg, and retail prices were at 25-28 UAH/kg. Thus, we have an increase of about 10-15%.
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Kherson region has traditionally been a leader in growing melons. What is the current situation?
Until 2022, Kherson region produced up to 70% of all Ukrainian watermelons. But due to the occupation and hostilities, some farms were destroyed or evacuated. According to analytical centers, the acreage in the occupied part of Kherson region has decreased by at least 60-70%. Instead, the leaders are Odesa region, which is actively increasing the area under melons, Mykolaiv region, where some producers have maintained production despite the shelling, and Zaporizhzhia region, which is gradually returning to pre-crisis levels.
In the forest-steppe zone, the main melon production is concentrated in the Left Bank part of the zone – Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Kharkiv region, which annually produces about 59.9 thousand tons of marketable watermelons on an area of 4.8 thousand hectares, is a leader among the regions of this zone. The share of the region in the gross production of this crop among the regions of Ukraine is 10.8%, and among the regions of the forest-steppe – about 35%.
What is the quality of the harvest? Are there any signs of improvement?
The harvest is of good quality, sweet, with minimal nitrates. In Zakarpattia, this year’s weather conditions allowed us to harvest the crops even earlier than usual. The yield is growing: in 2024, it is estimated at 9.2 tons per hectare, which is the highest in four years. This is the result of better breeding, technology and favorable weather.
What about imports? How actively are watermelons imported from abroad?
In June 2025, Ukraine imported 1 696 tons of watermelons. The main exporting countries are: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Spain, Romania, and Greece. The share of Azerbaijani watermelons is about 15% of imports, or ≈ 250 tons. In 2024, Ukraine imported 10.3 thousand tons of watermelons in January-August. Azerbaijani watermelons are delivered by road through Georgia, then either by seaports through Romania or by land routes through Moldova. The goods arrive at warehouses in Lviv or Odesa regions.
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Is there a significant difference between Ukrainian and imported watermelons?
Ukrainian watermelons are traditionally sweeter due to their open-air cultivation. Azerbaijani watermelons are early, harder, but less sweet. Imported ones are usually 10-15% more expensive due to logistics. The average price of Azerbaijani ones is ~25-30 UAH/kg (retail), compared to Ukrainian ones at 20-28 UAH/kg.
What are your forecasts for August: will there be a shortage or a surplus?
In the early stages of the season, there is a shortage, hence the high prices. However, from mid-July to early August, we expect a massive supply of products. An oversupply is possible in August, which will help to reduce prices. Historically, prices have been falling since the 20th of July: the expected wholesale price in August is 15-20 UAH/kg, and in supermarkets – 20-25 UAH/kg.
What are the main risks for producers this season?
The biggest risks are weather conditions (heat or heavy rains can destroy the harvest), security (attacks on southern infrastructure, mining of fields), logistics (restrictions at border crossings, lack of fuel) and financial pressure – rising costs, higher labor and protective equipment.
Finally, what’s new in watermelon breeding? What varieties are currently popular among Ukrainian farmers?
Among domestic institutions, the main work on creating new varieties and hybrids of watermelon is carried out at the Southern State Agricultural Research Station of the Institute of Southern Vegetable Growing, the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the Dnipropetrovs’k Research Station of the Institute. The varieties developed include Tavriysky, Snizhok, and Protector, which are well adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of southern Ukraine. For the Forest-Steppe zone, we have Max Plus, Charm, Arsenal, Veles, and the Kazka hybrid, as well as a variety with yellow flesh called Sunshine and a cylindrical fruit called Favorit.
In general, we can say that the 2025 watermelon season is taking place in difficult but controlled conditions. Production is gradually recovering, the regional geography has changed, and although prices have risen, they will stabilize closer to August. Imports partially compensate for the losses, but do not displace the Ukrainian product, which has an advantage in terms of both taste and consumer confidence.
Farmers are adapting to the new realities, but challenges remain: the security situation, climate risks, and rising logistics and production costs.
For the consumer, the main thing is to wait until August, when watermelons will become more affordable and the market will reach its peak. And for the market, it is another test of resilience, adaptability and the ability to maintain quality even in the most difficult conditions.
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