Ukraine predicts a seasonal shortage of strawberries
30 April 15:32
EXCLUSIVE
Tomorrow marks the beginning of May, the month when most Ukrainians are ready and willing to enjoy fresh strawberries. However, the prices for the product are not very conducive to this, as the average price of strawberries in domestic supermarkets is about 420 UAH/kg.
Therefore, "Komersant Ukrainian" asked Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, what to expect from this year’s harvest of the favorite berries and how affordable strawberries will be in May.
Unfortunately, the expert says that unfavorable weather conditions this spring have led to a seasonal shortage of strawberries. This means that the prices for the product will bite a bit.
According to Kozachenko, there will be very little strawberries in the first half of May, so we should not expect low prices, at least in the coming weeks.
“The problem is not only the war, but also the weather and climate conditions. There was not enough heat, we expected more, but the most important thing is the moisture deficit, which we must cover now. However, we do not have enough money or other necessary material and technical resources to do so. And this will slightly affect the price. That is, strawberries will be more expensive than last year,”
– said the farmer in an exclusive comment to .
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
What about other vegetables?
According to Kozachenko, the situation with other vegetables is similar: one should not count on their cheapness. And the main reason for this is the situation in Kherson region, which is the key region of Ukraine in this regard.
“Currently, the situation in Kherson is very difficult because there are active hostilities in the region. Fields are being mined from the air and mobile explosive devices are being dropped. Another problem is the lack of moisture. We know that 400,000 hectares of the irrigation system were lost due to the destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir. All this will definitely affect the volume of vegetable harvest. And if they decrease, the price may increase accordingly,”
– predicts the farmer and adds that the final growth figures will depend on both military and climatic factors.
How to reduce prices for fruits and vegetables?
The agrarian believes that Ukraine should focus on expanding greenhouse farming, which is less dependent on weather and climate.
“Per capita, the area of greenhouse farms in Ukraine is three times smaller than, for example, in Poland. But this requires huge funding. Now, when there is a war, building these greenhouses and looking for financial resources is not the most important thing to do. So, this is an issue for the future,”
– summarizes Leonid Kozachenko.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
