Sharp rise in price of garlic: what caused a new price record
5 January 2025 02:14
Since mid-December 2024, garlic prices in Ukrainian stores have exceeded UAH 200 per kilogram. This is an absolute record for the Ukrainian market, as even during the pandemic, garlic was cheaper. The main reason for this was a decrease in production in Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia. This is reported by analysts of the EastFruit project, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs
The main reasons for the rise in price of garlic
- Shortage of domestic production
In Ukraine, there is practically nothing to meet the high demand for garlic – it is difficult to find even a couple of commercial lots, and imports of quality garlic are too expensive.
- Increased demand in Europe
The European market has also seen an increase in demand for garlic. This is attributed to the influx of migrants from countries where this vegetable is an important component of national cuisine. In particular, in supermarkets in Germany and Austria, the average price of garlic is about 6 euros per kilogram, and in some places it reaches almost 20 euros.
- Problems with supply on the European market
Spain is the main supplier of garlic to the EU, but this year its producers have completely exhausted their stocks for the first time in three years. This was due to unfavorable weather conditions, rising labor costs, and increased transportation costs.
In addition, European suppliers have exhausted quotas for imports of even Chinese garlic, which has led to additional costs. Currently, imports of garlic from China are subject to fines of €1,200 per ton, but despite this, it continues to be actively imported.
What is the situation with growing garlic in Ukraine?
According to the State Statistics Service, since 2020, the area under garlic in Ukraine has decreased by almost 15% and now amounts to about 21 thousand hectares. Most of the harvest is provided by small and family farms. At the same time, wholesalers express doubts about the accuracy of official statistics, suggesting that the area under cultivation may be overstated.
The main problem for Ukrainian producers is the need for a lot of manual labor. Over the past five years, the country has hardly imported any equipment to mechanize the process of growing garlic, which also affects the cost of production and its availability.
