This year at the "Shuvar" market in Lviv, Ukraine, there has been a reported increase in the prices of fruits and berries. Sellers attribute the rise to increased transportation costs and reduced trading activity, primarily due to the absence of suppliers from Kherson and Melitopol. As a result, fruits and berries are now imported from other regions of Ukraine and from abroad.
Cherries are sourced from Moldova. Watermelons are imported from Turkey and Greece. Nectarines come from Spain and Turkey. Grapes are imported from Peru, Chile, and South Africa, and bananas from South Africa.
Ivan Stefanishyn, an agricultural market expert, emphasizes the need to expand areas for growing cherries and sour cherries. In the Zhovkiv district, strawberries are successfully grown and exported to Europe after shock freezing.
The lack of funding is the most significant obstacle to expanding plantations and modernising technologies. Despite numerous vacancies, many people are reluctant to work in the agricultural sector due to various circumstances. Although there are support programs for greenhouse farming, orchard farming, and berry cultivation, farmers are often unaware of these opportunities due to a lack of information.
Over the past year, the prices of key vegetables for borscht in the market have changed significantly. Here is a comparison of prices from 2023 to today:
- Cabbage: The price has decreased 4 times, from 0.8 EUR/kg to 0.2 EUR/kg.
- Potatoes: The price has increased 3 times, from 0.1 EUR/kg to 0.5 EUR/kg.
- Beets: The price has increased 5 times, from 0.2 EUR/kg to 0.7 EUR/kg.
- Onions: The price has decreased 2 times, from 1 EUR/kg to 0.6 EUR/kg.
- Carrots: The price has decreased 2 times, from 1.1 EUR/kg to 0.5 EUR/kg.
Tatiana Popovych, the head of marketing at "Shuvar," noted that frequent power outages could lead to price increases due to the expenses of generators for greenhouses.
Source: tvoemisto.tv / unian.ua