This week, Ukraine has seen an increase in prices for greenhouse tomatoes. The reason for the increase in cost was a seasonal decrease in the supply of local tomatoes produced at greenhouse plants. Analysts from the EastFruit project report that currently the price of tomatoes is 80-90 UAH/kg ($1.92-2.16/kg), which is an average of 13% more expensive compared to the end of the previous working week.
Prices for greenhouse tomatoes remain the highest on the domestic market of Ukraine for at least the past 7 years. Producers explain this by the fact that the volumes of vegetable harvest at local stationary combines remain small, which is why sellers are forced to raise prices for available volumes of products. At the same time, according to analysts, traders have not yet managed to compensate for the insufficient supply of local tomatoes at the expense of imported products.
According to analysts, the price of greenhouse tomatoes in Ukraine is already 49% higher than at the end of November 2023. This situation is caused not only by a decrease in production in Ukraine, but also by general trends in the agricultural market.
In addition, Ukraine has seen other food prices rise. For example, onion prices have risen due to increased demand amid limited supply of quality produce. There have also been reports of increased prices for greenhouse cucumbers, which have resulted from a reduction in the supply of imported vegetables.
Experts predict that greenhouse tomato prices may continue to trend upward in the short term if the situation with domestic production does not change. However, with improved supply in the coming months, some price stabilization should be expected.
