Over the next few months, vegetable prices may increase by 15% due to last season's poor harvest and the high cost of growing greenhouse vegetables.
This was reported by Denis Marchuk, the deputy chairman of the "All-Ukrainian Agricultural Council," during a telethon called "Unified News."
According to him, prices will continue to rise until the new harvest is collected.
"When we talk about vegetables in general, the negative factor leading to such a sharp increase in prices is the poor harvest. In fact, with the new harvest from open fields, we cannot expect a decrease in prices for the vegetable group," Marchuk noted.
He also emphasized that the arrival of greenhouse vegetables will not significantly affect the market situation, as their cultivation is also expensive. During the winter period and the beginning of spring, vegetable prices will rise an additional 15%.
This information was also confirmed by economist Oleg Pendzin. He explained that the cost of products in Ukraine in 2025 will depend on the harvest yield, purchasing power, and inflation levels. Potatoes and other vegetables will see the largest price increases, with prices potentially rising by 30-50%.
"Overall, the food basket may increase by 9.5%, but for specific categories of products, such as vegetables and eggs, prices will rise significantly more due to low yields or rising raw material costs," Pendzin added.
Analyst Alexander Khorev from EastFruit noted that typically, vegetables, particularly those from the "borscht set," become more expensive in spring when the stocks of quality products in storage are depleted. At the same time, due to inflation, drought, and a labor shortage, Ukrainian farmers harvested less this year, resulting in increased vegetable imports.