Apple prices in Ukraine have increased compared with the previous two years, according to EastFruit, citing SEEDS. While this has surprised some consumers, growers say the development was expected due to market conditions and export challenges.
Taras Bashtannyk, President of the Ukrainian Horticulture Association (UHA), said cheap apples will no longer be common in Ukraine, and the same applies to many fruits and berries. He shared this view during the conference "PROFITABLE AGRIBUSINESS 2026: Strategies. Innovations. Investments," organised by Sapienza.media in cooperation with UHA and other industry associations.
"In the apple segment, we can clearly see that prices have increased compared with the previous two years, when they were generally very low. To be honest, if we talk about table apples rather than apples for concentrate, the situation in Ukraine is challenging.
There are also challenges with exports. Before the war, Ukraine was primarily expanding its presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, because in the European Union, other major players are very difficult to compete with – such as Poland, Italy, and France," says Taras Bashtannyk.
According to Bashtannyk, the war has made exports more complicated from a logistics perspective. Transport routes have become longer and more expensive. Despite this, production continues, and new orchards are still being planted with support from government grant programs.
"If we analyze the three full years of the 'orchard grant' program, apple orchards ranked third in terms of planted area supported by grants, after hazelnuts and blueberries," noted the President of the Ukrainian Horticulture Association.
Blueberries remain profitable for growers, and exports of fresh fruit continue to increase. Production is growing by 15–20% annually, while domestic consumption has reached about 10,000 tons.
"The positive trend of increasing fresh blueberry exports continues. Blueberry production is growing by 15–20% annually, and exports must grow accordingly. At the same time, Ukraine has already reached a certain limit in domestic blueberry consumption, which averages around 10,000 tons.
However, let's be honest: the purchasing power of Ukrainians has declined due to the war and economic crisis, and blueberries are not among the most essential products. Therefore, domestic consumption is not increasing significantly, even though the berry is gaining popularity. The only viable option is exports, and Ukraine is successfully pursuing this path," Bashtannyk emphasized.
Ukraine has also remained the world's largest exporter of frozen raspberries for the second consecutive year.
"If last year Ukraine exported a maximum of about 10 thousand tons of blueberries, Chile and Peru together export 350–400 thousand tons. Poland exports around 20 thousand tons, and Spain about 25 thousand. So Ukraine still has significant room for growth and opportunities to replace other suppliers," said the President of the Ukrainian Horticulture Association.
Bashtannyk also expects fruit prices to remain higher in the future. He said low prices for fruit and berries are unlikely to return as production costs and global market conditions continue to change.
Source: EastFruit
