Potatoes rose 14% in a week: why producers are raising prices
27 February 21:24
Potato producers in Ukraine have been able to raise their selling prices amid strong demand from wholesale companies and retail chains. This was reported by analysts at the EastFruit platform, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to weekly monitoring, potatoes have risen in price by an average of 14% over the past week. Currently, producers are selling them for 8–15 UAH per kilogram, depending on quality and batch size.
Why prices are rising
The main reason is increased demand. Wholesale companies and retail chains are actively building up their stocks, which allows farmers to raise their prices.
At the same time, some producers are holding back sales, counting on further price increases. Some of them are guided by last year’s scenario, when the price reached 30 UAH per kilogram.
However, key market players doubt that such a jump will be repeated. They warn that excessive growth could stimulate imports and quickly cool the domestic market.
Cheaper than last year
Despite the current positive dynamics, potatoes remain significantly cheaper than in the previous season — by an average of 55%.
This means that the market has not yet returned to last year’s peak levels, even despite the reduction in storage stocks cited by farmers.
Most producers do not rule out further price increases. The main argument is the rapid decline in stocks of quality products.
Earlier, EastFruit analysts reported an 11% drop in greenhouse cucumber prices due to increased supply and weaker demand.
