Warsaw - By the end of 2007 potatoes prices in Ukraine will drop by 20-30%. In April consumer prices in Ukraine rose by 0,6% on average. Vegetables, fruits, margarine, oil, pasta and fish became dearer by 1-4%, while prices of pork fat, sugar, milk and potatoes dropped.
According to the market specialist, prices of the potatoes from the 2007 season harvest will drop by 20-30% before the end of the year – informs Ukrainian television channel ICTV (International Commercial Television). Two main reasons of lower prices are good weather conditions and growing acreage of plantations.
More than 70% of total horticultural land in Ukraine is used for potatoes. What is interesting is the fact, that 95% of entire potato crop in 2006 was grown in small residential gardens and by small farmers, and not in professional enterprises. The latter ones stared to appreciate the high profitability of potatoes culture not so long ago.
According to the Ukrainian farmers, profitability of potatoes started to grow after 1995, when prices grew considerably. Earlier potatoes were sold only on the markets and street bazaars, now they are widely available in the supermarkets, washed and even frozen.
Potatoes as raw material for the processing (e.g. for starch or chips production) gives not bad profit, explains Oleg Nivevskiy, but at the moment – despite the fact that the Ukraine belongs to the five of world leaders in potato production - more than 50% of starch used for domestic consumption is imported because of the unstable production.
