After a three-week reduction, prices for potatoes in Ukraine have started growing, EastFruit project analysts report. According to them, the main reason for the increase in potato prices is the increase in demand and the overall reduction in stocks of potatoes unsuitable for long-term storage. Let us recall that the purchasing activity of wholesale companies and retail chains has remained rather low in the last few weeks, resulting in declining selling prices in the segment.
Current prices for high-quality potatoes are in the range of 5-9 UAH/kg ($0.14-0.25/kg), which is on average 26% more expensive than at the end of the last week. At the same time, most large producers continue to restrain potato sales, which only spurs the price growth in the segment. According to the farmers, there is a very high percentage of substandard products that are not suitable for long-term storage in the current season.
It should be noted that potatoes in Ukraine are on average 1.5 times more expensive today than in the same period last year. Producers also reported that the price rise this week did not lead to lowering sales rates, and as a result, prices in this segment may rise again, they assume.
Source: East Fruit