This week, the new apple harvest season officially began in Ukraine, according to analysts from the EastFruit project. Based on the project’s daily monitoring data, Ukrainian growers started harvesting early apple varieties at almost the same time as last season.
As of today, procurement prices for new-season apples are ranging between UAH 60–70 per kilogram (approximately $1.43–1.67/kg), which is on average 2.9 times higher than at the beginning of last year’s season.
According to key market players, the arrival of locally grown apples has immediately impacted the sales of imported fruits. However, Ukrainian traders are in no rush to lower their prices. They justify this by noting that the majority of apples on the Ukrainian market are still imported, and that demand for apples remains low, as consumers tend to prefer seasonal fruits and berries.
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Ukrainian apple producers plan to enter the market more actively starting next week. As for pricing, growers expect that prices will gradually decrease as the supply of local apples increases. Moreover, this downward price trend is likely to affect both local and imported apples.
For more detailed information on the apple market and other fruit and vegetable sectors in Ukraine, visit the EastFruit website.
