EastFruit presents its weekly review of trading activity in the fruit and vegetable sector, based on monitoring its own trade platforms on Telegram. This analysis covers the latest trends in demand and supply, price changes for key items across different countries, and updates on technological offerings within the industry for 18th week of 2025
Key Trends This Week:
- Vegetables: Onions and potatoes dominate sales with potato offerings up 150%
- Early Harvests: Uzbekistan ramps up new garlic, cherries, and apricot exports
- Seasonal Transitions: Greek early potatoes enter the market alongside Macedonia and Egypt
- Weather Impact: Cold conditions hurt strawberry sales across the region
- Price Movements: Cucumber prices plummet in Uzbekistan to just 4 cents per kilogram
The following analysis covers fruit and vegetable market trends across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa based on EastFruit’s weekly trading platform data.
Market Participation & Regional Activity
Trading activity remained steady this week with participants from 13 countries engaging on the EastFruit Trade Platform. Ukraine and Egypt increased their sales presence, while offerings from Uzbekistan, Iran, and Poland decreased. Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and India returned to the platform after previous absence.
The most active countries by volume remained consistent with previous weeks:
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Iran
- Egypt
- Poland
Vegetable Sector Analysis
Root Vegetables & Staples
Onions and potatoes claimed the top sales positions, with potato offerings expanding by 150% compared to last week. The early potato market diversified as Greece joined Macedonia and Egypt as suppliers. Carrot sellers increased notably, while white cabbage and table beet offerings contracted.
Fresh Produce & Greens
Radish availability expanded while cucumber offerings declined. Salad greens and herbs maintained their position among top sellers. Uzbek early garlic exports continued their upward trajectory, while broccoli and cauliflower sales dropped significantly.
Regional Trends
- Ukraine: Most vegetables became cheaper, with white cabbage prices declining after nearly a month of growth due to quality deterioration of stored produce and increased early cabbage supply
- Uzbekistan: Early potato prices continued falling while early onion prices held steady for the fourth consecutive week
- Other Notable Movements: Iranian sweet peppers showed active sales despite not ranking among top items
Fruit Sector Analysis
Market Expansion & Seasonal Transitions
While apples continued to dominate the fruit segment, the product range widened considerably. Cherries entered the top sales category for the first time this season, primarily driven by increased Uzbek exports, with additional offerings from Iran and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan began exporting new harvest apricots, marking an important seasonal transition.
Weather Impacts & Price Movements
Cold weather across most of the region negatively affected garden strawberry trade, causing a sales drop. In Moldova, local strawberries commanded significantly higher prices than imported berries, while Ukrainian growers faced substantial frost damage.
Country-Specific Developments
- Egypt: Export prices for oranges rose for the second consecutive week
- Ukraine: Strawberry prices began declining while apple prices increased for the third straight week
- Uzbekistan: Initial price offers appeared for cherries and apricots while strawberry prices fell again
Historical Comparison
During the same period last year, white cabbage led sales but supplies of “borscht set” vegetables were declining. Southern Kazakhstan began selling Iceberg lettuce, Ukrainian asparagus sellers became active, and strawberry supplies were increasing. Price comparisons show strawberries were less expensive in Ukraine but more expensive in Uzbekistan than current rates.
Agricultural Technology Insights
The EastFruit Fruittechnology group maintained steady activity levels with fruit tree and berry seedlings as top sellers. Greenhouse vegetable seedling offerings expanded, alongside technological materials like water fans for greenhouse heating, various films, mulching materials, and tunnels. Research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign explored electricity generation from pomelo peel biomass processing.
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