Strawberry Market in Ukraine: Problems and Challenges in 2024

The Ukrainian strawberry market is going through a difficult period, and, according to agronomists and experts, it is currently not in the best condition. At the same time, with the increase in the number of areas allocated for growing garden strawberries, there is also a decrease in such lands due to a number of problems, in particular, due to the lack of labor for harvesting. This, of course, affected the overall state of the market.

As agronomist-consultant Iryna Pavlova notes in an interview with the publication "Gardening in Ukrainian", one of the main factors that influenced the situation was the extreme weather conditions of the spring of 2024. The frosts that occurred on May 25, when the temperature dropped to -6-9°C, were especially destructive. These frosts destroyed more than 70% of late varieties of garden strawberries, which had not happened in her 25-year experience in agriculture.

The deterioration of the market situation can also be attributed to another problem - a significant decrease in the production of quality seedlings in Ukraine. According to Pavlova, many local producers do not adhere to standards and growing technologies, which leads to a decrease in product quality. Instead, non-planting material is often used, when seedlings are simply dug up from their own plantations. This, of course, has a negative impact on the stability and quality of the crop.

Such conditions do not contribute to the development of the strawberry market, and, according to the specialist, this is why Ukraine has been significantly dependent on the import of seedlings in recent years. Among the main suppliers are the Netherlands, Italy and Poland, which fill the domestic market with quality planting material, which is lacking from domestic producers.

According to Pavlova, despite all the difficulties, strawberry prices in Ukraine remain quite favorable for those producers who can supply high-quality products. At the same time, for many other farmers who face problems in cultivation, such conditions are not favorable.

The agronomist also emphasizes that in conditions of extreme weather and reduced seedling production, the strawberry market in Ukraine requires a comprehensive approach to solving problems, such as the introduction of new technologies, improving the quality of planting material, and developing domestic production. Only in this way can the stable and sustainable development of the industry be ensured in the future.