Rising Cucumber Prices in Ukraine: Causes and Outlook
For the past four weeks, Ukrainian consumers have been witnessing a significant increase in cucumber prices, driven by multiple interconnected factors.
The main reasons for this trend include unfavorable weather conditions, notably cold weather, which has drastically reduced the supply of cucumbers in the domestic market.
At the same time, the absence of competition from imports and high demand from local wholesale companies and retail chains sustain elevated prices.
Analysts from the EastFruit project report that since early October, cucumber harvests from greenhouse facilities have decreased fivefold compared to the previous week, further amplifying price growth.
Currently, wholesale prices for cucumbers range between 65 and 80 hryvnias per kilogram ($1.57–$1.93), which is 66% higher than the same period last year.
Experts also indicate that this market situation may prompt importers to accelerate supplies from abroad soon, which could put downward pressure on local greenhouse prices.
It is noteworthy that the internal market prices are already 27% higher on average than last year.
Nevertheless, analysts warn that continued price increases might be limited due to the influx of cheaper imported produce, potentially stabilizing retail prices.