Since the beginning of the week, the price of watermelon in Ukraine has already dropped by a third. This was reported by Project EastFruit analysts.
Improved weather conditions almost throughout the country allowed Ukrainian watermelon producers to continue active harvesting work, and the supply of this product to the market increased. In addition, producers of all regions of Ukraine, without exception, began to collect melons in large quantities both in the central and in the Western regions.
Currently, the price of watermelons on the domestic market has fallen to UAH 3-8/kg (USD 0.07-0.19/kg), which is on average 30% cheaper than at the end of the last working week. Producers explain the negative dynamics of prices by a sharp increase in the supply of these melons on the market.
According to farmers, the situation is complicated by the fact that most of the supply is for large watermelons, and the demand for them is very weak. Wholesale companies and retail chains minimize the purchase of this type of watermelon, citing a very low share of retail sales.
If we compare the market situation in Ukraine with other countries of the project monitoring zone, these products remain more accessible only in traditional Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
It is worth noting that currently Ukrainian watermelons are on average 60% cheaper than at the beginning of 2023. In addition, industry experts do not predict a noticeable improvement in market conditions. In their view, only owners of high-quality watermelons can raise prices, and the supply of this type of product on the market is very limited.
At the same time, the price of watermelons weighing more than 5 kg will continue to remain at a low level, as farmers will try to make concessions to buyers and accelerate the pace of sales of already available products.
Source: agronews.ua
