The Ukrainian market is facing a scarcity of quality potatoes, as reported by the EastFruit. Wholesale companies and retail chains are struggling to buy enough quality potatoes to meet their needs. This gives farmers the opportunity to increase their prices for high-quality potatoes. Currently, Ukrainian growers are shipping such products at a minimum of 16-23 UAH/kg ($0.42-0.60/kg), which is about 14% higher than last week.
Market players observe that the supply of high-quality potatoes in Ukrainian farms is dwindling, while the demand for this product is rising. This is the main driver of the price hike. It should be noted that farmers are also able to charge more for lower quality products in these circumstances. Moreover, potatoes in Ukraine are now on average 2.8 times more expensive than in early March 2023. Market operators expect that the prices will keep going up, as the potato supply keeps going down.
For more information: east-fruit.com