Watermelons in Ukraine Have Fallen in Price: Farmers Are Selling the Harvest for Almost Nothing

Due to a large harvest and heat, there are more watermelons on the market, so prices have sharply dropped. Currently, producers are selling the berries in wholesale batches for several times cheaper than at the beginning of the season.

This is written by EastFruit.

Favorable weather in most regions of Ukraine allowed farmers to quickly harvest watermelons. As a result, supply on the domestic market significantly increased, and sellers began lowering prices to manage the sales.

According to EastFruit analysts, currently producers sell watermelons in large batches for 2–10 hryvnias per kilogram. In the last week alone, the average wholesale price fell by about 34%.

An additional problem for farmers is the large number of big watermelons weighing over 5 kilograms. It is such fruits that are now harder to sell, because buyers do not actively choose large berries, and retail chains and wholesalers reduce purchases.

The situation was worsened by the heat. Due to high temperatures, watermelons ripen faster in the fields, so producers simultaneously bring to market large volumes of the harvest. At the same time, drought in the southern regions affected the quality of part of the production, which also puts pressure on prices.

Currently watermelons in Ukraine cost about 47% cheaper than last year. Market participants do not expect a sharp price increase in the near future. Only farmers with high-quality fruits or popular varieties will be able to raise prices.

In stores, prices are already significantly lower than at the start of the season, though they depend on the variety and the retail network. At the beginning of August in Zaporizhzhia, a regular Ukrainian watermelon at ATB cost 15,59 hryvnias per kilogram, at VARUS — 16,90, and at Silpo — 17,99 hryvnias per kilogram with a discount.

Meanwhile, special varieties remain more expensive. At Silpo, large-fruit watermelons were sold for 34,99 hryvnias per kilogram, and the “Vognik” variety — for 44,99 hryvnias. At Atb, seedless watermelon cost 29,95 hryvnias per kilogram, and yellow — 39,95.

Now at Silpo, a regular watermelon costs about 19 hryvnias per kilogram when converted from the 100-gram price. At the same time, the gap between wholesale and retail prices remains substantial.

In the future, prices may fall even more if supply on the market continues to grow. This could affect large watermelons the most, which farmers will try to sell quickly before they lose quality.

For buyers, the current situation is favorable — seasonal berries have become more affordable. For producers, low prices mean difficulties selling a large harvest.