For the third year in a row, onion prices in Ukraine are record low: farmers suffer losses
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For the third year in a row, the onion market in Ukraine is entering the season with record low prices. About writes is an industry analytical project by EastFruit.

According to the project, wholesale prices for onions have dropped to UAH 5-10 per kilogram, and this trend may continue as long as there are large volumes of medium and low quality products on the market.

Oleksandr Khorev, EastFruit Weekly Ukraine project coordinator, said that onions are traditionally one of the main vegetable crops in Ukraine. In case of shortage, the country is forced to import this product, so the crop always attracts the attention of farmers and traders.

According to Khorev, every year new players appear in this market, trying to make money based on the high prices of previous seasons. However, due to violations of cultivation and storage technologies, a significant portion of the harvest is lost.

Earlier, in the south of the country (Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia regions), onions were harvested in dry weather in August, which guaranteed their quality storage, but now production has spread to all regions.

Because of this, harvesting often occurs in September, during the rainy season, and onions quickly deteriorate in storage.

According to the expert, for several years in a row, farmers have been increasing the area under onions, expecting prices to rise. But this did not happen – supply exceeded demand, and prices fell.

Another factor putting pressure on prices is the decline in domestic demand due to the war and the outflow of people abroad. The number of consumers has decreased, while production has remained high, so the market is overcrowded.

The only winners are consumers who get a basic product at an affordable price. For farmers, the season turns into a loss.