In the first half of 2019, tons of tomatoes and 7 thousand tons of cucumbers, which is 38% and 15% respectively more than in the same period in 2018. The import of these vegetables purchased in the first 6 months of the year was the largest over the past 10 years.
According to the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association (UPAA), the export of greenhouse vegetables continues to decline. So, export deliveries of tomatoes since the beginning of the year amounted to only 0.97 thousand tons, which is 3 times less than last season.
The volume of exports of cucumbers of fats is almost half as small as compared to 2018. In the first half of 2019, it amounted to 1.3 thousand tons.
This situation in the market of cucumbers and tomatoes arose because Ukrainian producers for a long time focused on the Russian market. With the beginning of the confrontation between the states, this market has ceased to be accessible to Ukraine.
Local manufacturers hardly compete with products from Turkey in the domestic market. The cost of electricity and gas from Turkish producers is not as high as in Ukraine, so they can sell their goods cheaper.
Currently, Ukrainian greenhouses are demanding quotas for import and introducing a trade tax on foreign products, says Yekaterina Zvereva, Director for Development of UPAA.
Producers of greenhouse vegetables in Ukraine are experiencing a time of change. The loss of the Russian market forces them to find new markets. At the moment, the main importers of tomatoes and cucumbers from Ukraine are Poland and Belarus, which are engaged in re-export, notes Upoa analyst Semyon Kramarenko.