The cost of potatoes is rising more quickly in Ukraine. According to reports, there is a significant demand for fresh potatoes, which has allowed producers to keep raising wholesale prices.

“Since the end of the previous week, average prices have increased already by 17%. Today the wholesale price of high-quality potatoes varies between USD0.22-0.33/kg. Thus, prices are already exceeding last year’s levels by 80% and are rather high for this season,” according to EastFruit analysts.

According to reports, the majority of major potato growers are holding back on sales in the hopes of receiving better prices later in the growing season, which only serves to drive up costs in this market. The farmers themselves claim that a significant portion of the current season’s produce is subpar and unfit for long-term storage. As a result, they anticipate price increases to happen considerably more quickly as the mercury falls below freezing.

“Although potato prices in Ukraine are much higher than in 2022, they are also significantly lower than in Moldova and Poland. Ukraine, reportedly, continues to export potatoes to the market of Moldova but it can not export to Poland due to non-tariff berries imposed by the EU related to phytosanitary regulations,” the experts concluded.