EastFruit team offers comprehensive fruit and vegetable market analyses of the previous week for Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Middle East based on the offers and bids at the largest regional EF trade platform with 26,000 participants from 50 world countries (for the extended list of produce trade platforms see this article).
Despite a significant increase in the supply of potatoes, prices have continued to rise. Despite a sharp increase in the number of potatoes offers on the trade platforms, the demand remains robust, pushing prices upward. Interestingly, there have been new offers for potato imports from Pakistan to Uzbekistan, indicating a shift in trade dynamics. It might also be triggered by the recent ban on potato exports from Kazakhstan, which is the main supplier of potatoes to the Uzbek market.
In the vegetable market segment, the availability of cabbage and beets has decreased, while carrots have become more prevalent. In Ukraine, prices for white cabbage and carrots have surged, while cucumbers have become cheaper. However, in Uzbekistan, cucumber prices have risen.
The supply of apples has increased, but this has not led to a reduction in prices. Conversely, the market has seen a rise in the supply of mandarins and oranges, resulting in price drops in Egypt and Uzbekistan.
The EastFruit Trade Platform has witnessed a growing number of listings and an expanding geographical reach of active participants. Last week, participants from 17 countries engaged in buying and selling fruit and vegetable products. Notably, there were new listings from Kazakhstan, Turkey, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan. Ukraine, Egypt, and Poland saw increased sales activity, while offerings from Uzbekistan and Iran declined. The top five countries by the number of listings were Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Poland, and Iran.
Potatoes dominated the listings, with every seventh advertisement related to this staple. The number of potato sellers more than doubled, with Ukraine being the most active. Egypt also continued to increase its potato sales. To stabilize domestic prices, Kazakhstan imposed a six-month export ban on potatoes, affecting Uzbekistan, its primary importer. Consequently, the first proposals for potato imports from Pakistan to Uzbekistan emerged. There is speculation that the price surge in Kazakhstan may be due to inflated harvest reports.
In other vegetable segments, onion sales remained steady, while the number of beetroot and cabbage sellers decreased, and carrot sellers increased. There were also active sales of red onions, cauliflower, and broccoli.
In the fruit segment, apple offer increased, with Kyrgyzstan joining the list of the countries actively selling fresh apples. Grape listings decreased, while mandarin and orange listings increased. Morocco resumed orange exports to the USA, achieving a record annual volume. Frozen fruits and berries, particularly from Ukraine, Egypt, and Poland, also saw a resurgence in listings.
The most in-demand items last week were white cabbage and carrots. Onions, beets, and apples were also frequently purchased. Interestingly, there were no listings for potato purchases.
A year ago, during the same week onion listings were the most frequent, with every fifth advertisement related to the fresh onions. Carrot and potato sales were on rise, and radish sales, particularly from Ukraine, were notable. Apple sales dominated the fruit segment.
Analyzing price trends in specific countries, Ukraine saw a rise in potato prices after a brief period of stability. The reduction in quality stock led to higher prices for white cabbage and carrots. Greenhouse cucumber prices decreased despite limited local supply, and sweet peppers were cheaper than the previous week. Tomato prices narrowed, cauliflower became more expensive, and broccoli prices fell. In the greens segment, prices rose except for green onions, which became cheaper.
In Uzbekistan, potato prices continued to rise following Kazakhstan’s export ban. Cucumber and tomato prices increased, as did prices for apples, pears, and bananas, while orange prices fell.
In Egypt, exporters began lowering orange prices, and the first price offers for carrots and cauliflower appeared. Notably, Egypt set a record for potato exports to the UK in 2024.
Additional price offers included greenhouse tomatoes from Turkmenistan at $0.70 EXW (down from $1.20 the previous week) and garlic from Iran at $1.85 FCA.
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