Apple prices up by quarter in Ukraine over year – experts

East Fruit experts say prices of apples in Ukraine have risen by almost a quarter over the past year.

In particular, in the second half of February, prices of apples reached UAH 21 per kilogram (US$0.75) at wholesale, depending on the variety.

"At the moment, apple prices in Ukraine have already exceeded last year's ones by 23%, on average. According to gardeners, stocks of apples in storage facilities are running out quickly due to stable demand, which only provokes further price hikes. At the same time, most Ukrainian gardeners have already managed to sell almost the entire apple crop back in January," the East Fruit analytical platform's press service said on February 21.

Experts stress that the prices of fruits of export quality are rising first.

"It's at the moment that the increase in prices of export quality apples in Ukraine, against the background of a gradual curb in stocks, may be as painless as possible for local gardeners," the press service quoted analyst Oleksandr Khorev as saying.

Foreign buyers, he says, especially in the Middle East, will be interested in apple supplies from European countries for a while. But this won't last long, as producers from the southern hemisphere, in particular from South Africa, will be entering the market during the season, while the rating of international apple suppliers will change dramatically by early March in 2021.

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Adviser to the President of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club Association (UCAB) for Strategic Development Volodymyr Lapa earlier said that grains, vegetables, and fruits in the spring of 2021 might go up in prices, while inflation may rise to 7-8%.