Ukrainian fruit prices to rise sharply in 2025 due to production and energy problems

In Ukraine, buying fruit has become much more expensive in 2025. In the first months of the year, some prices rose by up to 80% compared to last year. Among the fruits that increased the most are apples, pears and tangerines, notes a local media.

The main reason is that in 2024 there was a severe summer drought, and irrigating the crops cost more. This led to less fruit being harvested, especially in the south of the country, where apple production fell by 15% to 20%. Wholesale prices for this fruit reached 25-28 grivnas per kilo ($0.63-0.70).

Another problem was the lack of energy. Attacks on infrastructure forced farmers to use diesel generators to keep fruits cold in warehouses. This tripled storage costs. According to experts, storing apples in cold storage now costs up to 5 grivnas per kilo every month ($0.13).

Imported fruits were not spared either. Due to the devaluation of the hryvna and the increase in taxes, products such as bananas, grapes and plums rose between 8% and 15%. Although bananas dropped slightly in January, they were back to 32 grivnas per kilo ($0.80) by the end of February. In addition, suppliers from Turkey, Ecuador and Greece increased their prices by 10% to 12% because transporting the goods is more expensive following the problems in the Red Sea.

By March 2025, prices are expected to rise further. Apples could cost 30-33 grivnas per kilo ($0.75-0.83), pears 28-30 ($0.70-0.75), and mandarins up to 65-70 grivnas ($1.63-1.75). Strawberries arriving from Greece and Spain would sell for 120-150 grivnas per kilo ($3-3.75). This worries both consumers and sellers.

Farmers and traders fear that if the weather and energy supply do not improve soon, prices could continue to rise throughout the year.

source: help.hvylya.net

photo: ukrinform.es