Horticulture in Ukraine is a very interesting industry in terms of price formation, as the director of horticulture and vegetable farming, Taras Melnyk, explained in an interview.
"There are two consumers in Ukraine: the wholesale market and supermarkets. Small producers sell their apples on the market. In this case, supermarkets are guided by the price dictated by the market. Since no one will buy apples in supermarkets if the price differs significantly from the market price."
At the beginning of the season, small farmers set the tone for lower prices, and this trend continues. Therefore, the price in the market is uncontrolled. Sometimes in September, the price of apples on the market is around the cost price because everyone wants to simply get rid of them. Farmers, due to, for example, power outages, cannot store the fruits, so they have to sell their apples quickly.
Even though the domestic price is currently more attractive, for large enterprises, export is more interesting because the export price is relatively stable.
Source: golos.te.ua