Ukraine's major onion producing regions are actively releasing information on the catastrophic harvest losses and the deplorable state of the fields. In the wake of these rumours, onion prices are steadily rising.

While a week ago it was possible to buy onions in the southern regions for UAH/kg (0.13 $/kg) now the minimum price stands at 3.5 UAH/kg (0.15 $/kg), with small onion farms demanding up to 4-4.5 UAH/kg ($ 0.18-0.2 $/kg).

Prices have thus reached unprecedented high levels; the last time a record price was recorded in August was in 2010, when farms were selling the onions for 2.5-3 UAH/kg (0.31-0.37 $/kg).

In their spring forecasts, experts of "APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits" still reported a fairly sharp decline in the prospects for the onion harvest, mainly as a result of the reduction of the acreage and lower yields. To date, the prediction has been fully confirmed by experts; onion producers report not only a loss in productivity, but also serious problems with the quality of the product. Onion plantations are massively suffering the impact of diseases and pests, because of which growers will have to seriously reconsider plans for storage capacity. In addition, the size of the bulbs in most cases is below the average, but the demand for such products is consistently high, which only supports the upward price trend.

According to estimates of "APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits", the total supply of onions in the season 2015/16 will be at least 20% lower than in the previous season.

Source - www.fruit-inform.com