In Ukraine, watermelon prices continue to grow and beat records, as announced by the chairman of the Ukrainian Association of Trade Network Suppliers, Alexei Doroshenko. "The average price is now 8 hryvnia per kilo (about 0.26 Euro)," said the expert on his Facebook page.
According to analysts of APK-Inform, average watermelon prices in Ukrainian farms are currently 6.3 times higher than in the same period of last year and stand at record high levels for late August since Ukraine gained its independence. Prior to this, the prices reached in August 2014 were considered to be the highest, but then they did not exceed 2.3 UAH/kg (about 0.07 Euro).
According to Doroshenko, the cultivation of melons is a highly profitable business, but this year the situation has become difficult for both producers and consumers. "The weather this year was a surprise. Temperatures were abnormally high and this required constant watering," he affirmed. Furthermore, he stated that the price has been shaped by a significant increase in the cost of mineral fertilizers, as well as by logistics costs.
He also recalled that while early melons were cheap, even then experts had already warned that by September prices may rise.
Source: segodnya.ua
