In 2015, vegetable producers in Ukraine expect one of the worst harvests of the last five to seven years.

The main reason for the decline in production, according to the experts, will be a reduction in the acreage, which in turn is due to the rise in production costs.

Producers are also not willing to risk planting the same volumes as last year, as their sales prospects have been affected by the embargo in Russia and everything also points to a drop in domestic consumption, which is forcing Ukrainian canneries to reduce their processing volumes in 2015. The Russian embargo has also led to a reduction in the acreage in Ukrainian greenhouses that were exporting a significant share of the production.

According to analysts, in addition to the reduced acreage, there will also be a lower yield because of the attempts to save resources. Growers have been massively moving from expensive to cheap hybrid varieties, and the vast majority of producers are planning to save money on preventive treatments.

It is worth noting that in 2014 Ukraine harvested about 9.2 million tonnes of open field vegetables and 480 thousand tonnes of greenhouse vegetables. The open field harvest exceeded the results of the previous season by 3%, mainly due to higher yields. At the same time, the greenhouse production dropped by almost 5% because of the lower acreage and yields.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/