Last week in Ukraine, another increase in potato prices has been noted, according to analysts from the EastFruit project. Recall that the relatively recent rise in the prices of one of the main consumer products was recorded on the domestic market at the end of July to the first decade of August this year.
As expected, the current price increase coincided with the beginning of the mass harvesting of late potato varieties in local farms. As of today, farmers are offering relatively small volumes of this product for sale, with the bulk of the harvested potatoes being stored.
Currently, Ukrainian farmers are offering potatoes for sale at 15-20 UAH/kg ($0.36-0.48/kg), which is on average 18 percent more expensive than a week earlier. According to the producers themselves, demand currently far exceeds supply, and most producers prefer to store the maximum volumes of high-quality potatoes for long-term storage. In their opinion, the current situation in the potato market will also contribute to further price increases. Also, reports continue to come in about a sharp decline in potato production in households in the northern and central regions of Ukraine due to the drought.
It should be noted that during the same period in 2023, local producers were selling potatoes on average 65 percent cheaper than today. Moreover, wholesale potato prices in Ukraine today are the highest in at least the last seven years. Market operators explain this price difference by the overall decline in the yield of this tuber crop in the current season due to unfavorable climatic conditions during the growing period. The most negative impact was caused by the hot and dry weather across almost the entire territory of Ukraine throughout July this year.