(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukrainian producers of garden strawberries raised their wholesale prices last week to an average of 100 to 180 hryvnias per kilogram as the domestic harvest season neared its end, reducing the volume of berries available on the market.
At the current exchange rate, the new price range equals roughly 2.44 to 4.39 US dollars per kilogram, or approximately 1.92 to 3.46 British pounds per kilogram. The increase represents an average rise of 23 percent since the beginning of last week, according to daily monitoring data from the EastFruit project.
Market participants said the main reason for the higher prices was the winding down of the strawberry season in most regions of Ukraine, which has led to a clear fall in supply. At the same time, demand for the fruit remains firm from both the retail sector and processing companies, helping to push prices upward.
Despite the latest increase, the average cost of garden strawberries in Ukraine is still about 17 percent lower than during the same period a year ago. The EastFruit analysts noted that Ukrainian growers are now shipping strawberries to the fresh market at prices that vary depending on quality and the size of each batch.
The price movement comes as other soft fruit seasons get underway. Last week, Ukraine also began the open field blueberry harvest, with starting wholesale prices for blueberries averaging 27 percent higher than at the same point last year.
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