The Ukrainian 2025/2026 apple season is characterized by several structural market distortions, says Volodymyr Gurzhiy of Ukrainian apple exporter USPA Fruit: "Clearly, due to late spring frosts in 2025, Ukraine lost part of its crop. At the same time, as of now, storage facilities still hold a sufficient volume of apples to satisfy current demand. In other words, as of January, apples are available, but market supply is lower than it would normally be. This imbalance is one of the key reasons for the elevated price levels compared with previous years."
© USPA Fruit
According to Gurzhiy, apples are now competing with several other fruits in terms of pricing. "To explain this further, apples were traditionally perceived as a staple product for Ukrainian consumers and were rarely considered expensive. For many years, apples were effectively the cheapest source of vitamins. Today, apples are directly competing on price with other fruits such as citrus, bananas, and other imported produce. This situation is partly driven by an element of artificial scarcity in the market. Growers are holding back volumes in storage, recalling the record-high prices observed towards the end of the 2025 season. At the same time, demand remains weaker than market operators would prefer and is significantly lower than in the pre-war period."
The lack of available labor has also left a mark on the current pricing for apples, Gurzhiy explains: "Apple prices were already high during the harvest period and immediately afterwards, despite the fact that freshly harvested fruit was widely available at that moment. Why? Due to a shortage of labor, growers simply lacked the capacity to harvest and market apples simultaneously. The labor situation continues to deteriorate and could become critical by the next season."
© USPA Fruit
The strong exports have also resulted in prices for apples increasing on the Ukrainian domestic market, Gurzhiy states. "Prices are being pushed up by strong export activity, which traditionally enjoys robust demand. Ukrainian apples have been highly sought-after from the very beginning of the season and remain so today. As a result, some of the country's key growers, having well-established export channels, have prioritized foreign markets and, to some extent, neglected sales on the domestic market."
The war in Ukraine still has a massive impact on available power as well, Gurzhiy explains: "The constant missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure remain our largest challenge. The authorities state that there are no power generation facilities left that have not been hit by Russian missiles or drones. As a result, a large share of market operators are forced to rely on diesel generators. In many cases, operating time on generators now exceeds the time supplied by the central power grid. For many in Europe, such conditions would appear incompatible with normal business operations. In Ukraine, however, companies have adapted, although these circumstances go far beyond what could be considered reasonable and, in essence, amount to survival, both in physical and business terms."
The weather is not making things any easier, Gurzhiy emphasizes, as the temperatures are very low at this time. "This winter has also brought weather anomalies unseen in the past 20 years. Ukraine has experienced record snowfalls and severe frosts, with temperatures in some regions falling to as low as –20°C, further aggravating an already difficult situation."
"Despite these conditions, the country continues to operate and adapt. Many processes have already been adjusted. Ukrainian apple growers are replanting orchards with new varieties, expanding their businesses, and investing in energy independence. Notably, last year the sector saw an M&A transaction in horticulture, with a UAE-based company acquiring a Ukrainian apple producer and committing to a multi-year investment program. This sends a clearly positive signal to other foreign investors," Gurzhiy concludes
For more information:
Volodymyr Gurzhiy
USPA Food LLC
Tel: +380 50 925 57 32
Email: [email protected]
www.uspafood.com
