A nightmare for vegans: why have the prices of vegetables and fruits increased and where is the price cap?

According to the latest data from the State Statistics Service, vegetables have become the main driver of inflation, achieving a 21.2% price increase in the two months of 2023. With an indicator of 5.9%, they are overtaken by fruits. in my last review Focus learn what led to the increase in the prices of vegetables and fruits and what to expect next.

Inna Salo, Head of Pricing and Agricultural Market Department of the National Research Center “Agricultural Economics Institute”, explains the increase in fruit and vegetable prices with the effect of seasonal factor and Lent accompanied by Lent. increasing demand for vegetables and fruits. The business partner indicates the following actual prices for this group of goods:

• white cabbage: UAH 21.14 per kg (+ 61.4% from the beginning of the year);
• potatoes: UAH 10.04 per kg (+2.8%);
• onions: UAH 55.79 per kg (+61.7%);
• carrots: 44.07 UAH per kg (+72.4%);
• beets: 10.48 UAH per kg (-12.4%);
• apples: UAH 14.68 per kg (+26.2%);
• mandarin: 72.26 UAH/kg (+8.7%);
• bananas: 70.42 UAH per kg (+1.7%);
• oranges: 58.40 UAH/kg (-10.0%);
• lemon: 61.30 UAH/kg (-4.2%).

UCAB analyst Maxim Gopka explains the increase in the prices of vegetables and fruits, especially onions, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, the depletion of local stocks and the increase in the presence of more expensive imported goods on the Ukrainian market in the last two months. . It should be noted that due to the Russian energy terror in Ukraine, the storage and cultivation of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses has become difficult, which significantly affects supply and prices.

report Focus Experts warn that fruit and vegetable prices in Ukraine will continue to rise.

Maxim Gopka guesses it high onion prices will continue until May. “Due to the shortage of onions on the world market, its international value is increasing, and Ukrainian stocks are not enough, so imports will increase and it will not be cheap,” explains the source of the publication.

according to the addressee Focus, prices for cucumbers and tomatoes will increase by another 35-40%, and their decrease will be expected only from mid-April.

Meanwhile, Inna Salo, head of the Pricing and Agricultural Market Department at the National Science Center “Agricultural Economics Institute,” states in general: In the first half of 2023, fruit prices will increase by 10-15 percent and vegetable prices will increase by 15-20 percent due to the seasonal factor..

At the peak of the price increase in April 2023, according to the forecasts of experts Focus it will be possible to observe the following average prices for vegetables and fruits:

• onions: 64 – 67 UAH per kg;
• carrots: 53 – 56 UAH per kg;
• white cabbage: 26 – 27 UAH per kg;
• cucumbers: 155 – 189 UAH per kg;
• tomatoes: 152 – 185 UAH per kg;
• apples: 17 – 18 UAH per kg.

Experts also point out bread and bread products among other products that are in danger of increasing prices due to the effect of the energy crisis. According to Inna SaloBread price may increase 1-3% in March and 5-10% in the first half of the year.. Thus, the price of a sliced ​​loaf, which currently costs UAH 21.55, may rise to UAH 22.63-23.70 in June.

For vegetarians and connoisseurs of fresh vegetables and fruits, food costs are increasing noticeably, but for fans of meat dishes, the situation is relatively stable.

“At the beginning of March 2023, the trend of volatility in retail prices for the main meat types continues. Since the beginning of 2023, the price of chicken has increased by 2.0-5.8%, while the price of pork and beef has fallen “, – says Natalya Kopytets, Principal Researcher of the Pricing and Agricultural Market Department of the NSC Institute of Agricultural Economics. According to the correspondent FocusThe increase in the cost of chicken meat is due to the peculiarities of the production cycle and the increase in the cost of electricity.

Focus It also collected experts’ forecasts for the 2023 inflation rate and evaluated the impact of the strengthening of the hryvnia cash exchange rate on prices.

Moreover Focus It analyzes how the Ukrainian economy has been affected by the ongoing Russian energy terrorism since October 2023.