According to the State Statistics Service, vegetable prices will increase in Ukraine from the beginning of 2024. However, citizens do not need to overpay for all basic products, as some products have become cheaper.
Ukrainians often complain that food products in stores are constantly becoming expensive. The cost problem became especially acute with the beginning of large-scale occupation by the Russian Armed Forces, as many citizens lost their main jobs or began to earn much less than before the war. Therefore, some citizens are trying to save, which is not much anyway. Meanwhile, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine has published the price dynamics of basic products in Ukraine for January 2024.
Thus, in the first month of the year, the average prices of buckwheat grains decreased by 5.2% to 28.9 hryvnia per kilogram. Also cheaper:
- eggs – 9.2 to 51 hryvnia per dozen;
- pork – from 4.6% to 184.7 hryvnia per kilogram.
But there are also products that are becoming more expensive. Mostly the price of vegetables has increased. For example:
- potatoes – from 41.8 to 21.5 hryvnia per kilogram;
- the price of beet increased – by 40.7% to 16.1 hryvnia per kilogram;
- cabbage – from 27.9% to 14.3 hryvnia per kilogram;
- carrots – 26.2% to 14.4 hryvnia per kilogram;
- onions – from 11.7% to 16.9 hryvnia per kilogram.
It was noted that the increase in consumer prices in Ukraine slowed down to 4.7% in January 2024.
How much do Ukrainians actually spend on groceries?
Picodi analysts reviewed Dynamics of the cost of food baskets in 67 countries, including Ukraine. For their research, Picodi analysts compiled a conditional food basket consisting of bread, milk, eggs, rice, cheese, meat (chicken and beef), vegetables (potatoes, onions, tomatoes) and fruits (apples, bananas, oranges).
Calculation of the cost of the basket for Ukraine is as follows:
- milk (10 liters) – 379 UAH;
- bread (10 loaves) – 241 UAH;
- rice (1.5 kg) – 88 UAH;
- eggs (20 pieces) – 120 UAH;
- cheese (1 kg) – 300 UAH;
- meat (6 kg) – 1139 UAH;
- fruits (6 kg) – 291 UAH;
- vegetables (8 kg) – 260 UAH.
So the total cost of the conditional Picodi basket in January 2024 was at 2,818 hryvnia (70.5 euro equivalent). According to analysts, the cost of the basket was 22% cheaper a year ago. According to calculations, the minimum “net” salary in Ukraine at the beginning of 2024 was 5,715.50 hryvnia. Taking this into account, the minimum grocery spend reached 49.3% of the minimum after taxes were paid.
Moreover, in 2023, this rate was 42.8%. In other words, the increase in prices in Ukraine exceeded the increase in the minimum wage.
Previously Focus He told me about which products prices will constantly increase in Ukraine in 2024. In addition, the Ministry of Agricultural Policy recently announced what will happen to sugar prices and whether Ukrainians will face a shortage of sweet products.
Source: Focus
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