Ukraine ousted Russia from the Belarusian watermelon market for the first time in 11 years

Published 2021년 8월 31일

Tridge summary

Ukrainian watermelons are dominating the Belarusian market despite higher export costs and VAT rates, offering ultra-low prices that are more competitive than Russian watermelons. The cost of transporting watermelons from Ukraine to Belarus has increased, but Ukrainian Kherson watermelons are still more price competitive than Russian Astrakhan ones. Belarus relies heavily on watermelon imports, traditionally sourcing from Russia and Kazakhstan, but in 2021, Ukraine has become the leading supplier, exporting over 3,000 tons to Belarus in the first two weeks alone. This is a significant increase from 2019 when Ukraine exported only 379 tons. The influx of Ukrainian watermelons is helping to stabilize producer prices in Ukraine and is expected to increase export shipments. However, the Belarusian market is experiencing a decline in watermelon prices due to the increased supply from Ukraine.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

According to EastFruit analysts, this year Ukrainian suppliers again dominate the Belarusian watermelon market, despite unfavorable export conditions compared to Russia. “For the first time since 2010, Ukraine has become the main supplier of watermelon to the Belarusian market, displacing Russia from it. This event is all the more remarkable against the backdrop of an increase in the cost of watermelon logistics from Ukraine to Belarus, a higher VAT rate on fruits in Ukraine compared to the Russian Federation and additional packaging costs of 3 cents per kg, which actually corresponds to the cost of the watermelon itself in Ukraine. And, nevertheless, the Ukrainian Kherson watermelon is now more competitive in the Belarusian market than the Astrakhan one, ”says Fyodor Rybalko, consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). According to EastFruit price monitoring data, for three weeks now the difference in wholesale prices for watermelon between ...

Source: Eastfruit