Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Russian companies start importing Ukrainian onions
According to Fruit-Inform, Russian wholesalers have showed interest in Ukrainian onions this week. Shipments are irregular now, as buyers are often unsatisfied with the quality of Ukrainian produce, and sellers, in their turn, consider purchase prices low.
For the present, Ukrainian exporters' purchase prices vary between UAH 1.20-1.30/kg (USD 0.08-0.09/kg). Those onions are offered in Russia at RUB 11-12/kg (USD 0.27-0.29/kg) that is similar to maximum prices fixed by Russian growers.
As a result, the majority of Ukrainian farmers are unsatisfied with those conditions: minimum ex-farm prices of export-quality onions stand now at UAH 1.40/kg (USD 0.10/kg).
We would remind you that the situation in the Ukrainian onion market was quite the opposite a year ago, when Ukraine for the first time ever was the main purchaser of Russian onions. According to the official statistics, Ukraine accounted for the share of about 50% in Russia's total onion exports in the season 2013/14 with exports peaking in the first half of autumn and December.