Potato prices in Ukraine are falling in Ukraine
30 December 2024 15:20
According to the EastFruit monitoring project, the potato market in Ukraine has seen a decrease in trading activity. Contrary to farmers’ hopes that potatoes will once again rise in price on the eve of the New Year vacations, their selling prices have started to decline, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports.
Thus, last week the potato market in Ukraine demonstrated a decrease in trading activity, and potato prices began to decline.
Marketable potatoes are now being sold at prices ranging from 18 to 28 UAH/kg ($0.43-0.67/kg), depending on quality, variety and batch volume. This is about 12% lower than at the end of last week.
Wholesalers attribute this decline to weak demand for the product, and consequently to the lack of reasons to increase purchases.
Why potatoes are falling in price
The decline in prices is not only due to weakening demand, but also due to stable supplies of potatoes from abroad. However, despite the current decline in value, overall potato prices remain higher this season compared to last year.
The current potato harvest in Ukraine was lower due to unfavorable weather conditions in the summer. At the same time, farmers report a gradual deterioration in product quality. As a result, the price of potatoes has increased by 41% on average compared to 2023.
Despite the current challenges, farmers are generally satisfied with the level of selling prices this season, although lower demand before the holidays creates additional difficulties for producers.
Ukraine’s largest potato producers
The largest potato producers in Ukraine are Continental Farmers Group (owned by Saudi Arabian state funds), Sergiy Rybalko’s Adelaide Agro Company and VPK-Agro.
The main potato growing regions include Vinnitsa, Zhytomyr, Lviv and Kyiv oblasts.
