By the end of the year, Ukrainians should not expect a sharp increase in the price of the main vegetables used in borscht - potatoes, carrots, beets, onions and cabbage. According to Taras Bashtannyk, president of the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association, these vegetables are currently sold at "practically cost", within 10 hryvnias per kilogram, and this price situation will remain at least for the coming months. He explains this not so much by the harvest, but by the lack of normal storage conditions: farmers prefer to sell cheaper now than risk losing everything later.
The market for basic vegetables is currently literally flooded with supply. According to Taras Bashtannyk, farmers are putting up potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage and onions for sale at a price of up to 10 hryvnias per kilogram - and this is the cost price. The reason is simple and at the same time systemic: Ukraine has a chronic lack of storage facilities for borscht. Most small and medium-sized producers are not ready to take the risk and keep vegetables until winter, because there is no guarantee of stable light, temperature and safety. Therefore, they give the harvest immediately, even cheaply, just to get "real money" and not lose the product at all.
Bashtannyk emphasizes that the current price is a direct consequence of overproduction after the last season. Last year, the price of borscht rose sharply, so this year many farms increased the area under potatoes, cabbage, and onions. As a result, we have an excess supply and “inflated” prices. According to the expert, this applies to all key positions — that is, we are not talking about one vegetable, but about the entire set at once.
A separate line is storage. In war conditions, farmers count not only electricity, security, and logistics, but also the direct risk of strikes on infrastructure. In order not to invest in energy-intensive long-term storage, small producers sell their crops here and now. This artificially "presses" prices down on the domestic market and cuts off the potential for increases.
At the same time, the demand for borscht in Ukraine is formed almost entirely within the country. As analysts explain, borscht vegetables are traditionally a domestic product: we either provide for ourselves, or, if there is a sudden crop failure in some position, we selectively increase imports from Poland, Moldova, Romania, or even the Netherlands. That is, neither the record potato harvest in the EU this season, nor crop failures somewhere abroad significantly push our prices up or down. The Ukrainian borscht market lives by the logic of "how much is harvested here - that much is the price."
The National Bank of Ukraine confirms the same trend. The October NBU inflation report indicates that over the next three quarters (i.e. approximately the next nine months), potatoes and other borscht vegetables in Ukraine should remain cheaper than last year. The regulator explains this by good harvests and excess supply, including products of average quality, which farmers cannot keep for a long time and are forced to pour into the market at a minimum price. For example, the cost of onions this fall fell to the lowest level since the beginning of 2022.
At the same time, there is an important caveat. Not all vegetables behave the same. Greenhouse crops are already going up in price: tomatoes and cucumbers are becoming more expensive after the end of the soil season and the reduction of supplies from greenhouses. That is, “cheap borscht” is yes, but “cheap salad with tomatoes in winter” is no. This is classic seasonality, when a greenhouse vegetable becomes practically a delicacy.
What does this mean for the consumer now? First, the borscht set will remain one of the few products that does not put so much pressure on the wallet until the end of the year. Second, buying potatoes, onions or cabbage "in reserve" makes sense, but with a caveat: storage conditions in an apartment or basement are also important. It is the lack of quality storage that forces farmers to dump goods, and this same reason can lead to a local shortage of a quality product in late winter. Agricultural associations also hint at this, warning that after the peak of supply, a small increase may gradually occur due to storage costs.
At the same time, the NBU expects that generally low prices for borscht and potatoes will help contain food inflation at the start of 2026. For household budgets, this means a simple thing: essential basic food products (borscht, soup, side dishes) will be relatively affordable, even if fruits and greenhouse vegetables remain more expensive.
