First shipments of apricot from national farms entered markets

The Ukrainian agriculture specialists inform that first shipments of apricot from farms of southern regions have been entering the inner market since the beginning of last week. It is worth mentioning, that this year all stone fruits, including apricot, ripen minimum two weeks earlier than a year ago as a result of warm winter and favorable weather conditions in spring and early summer.
Market players point out that solely imported apricot (predominantly of Turkish origin) was sold past week in Ukraine. The number of shipments of the nationally grown apricot increases day by day; the quality of the supplied apricot is mostly estimated as medium.
As of today, the wholesale prices for apricot of national origin are set on the level US$0.6-2/kg depending on the quality and the size of shipment. Just to compare - imported apricot is sold now for up to US$2.4-3.4/kg; moreover, the demand keeps high because of high quality characteristics of the imported products.
Source : "Agrooglyad : Vegetables and Fruits"