Power outages, interruptions in the operation of cooling equipment and spoilage of finished products have led to higher prices for most dairy products. This was stated by the Association of Milk Producers, reports UNN.
Details
Giorgi Kukhaleishvili, an analyst at the Association of Milk Producers, explains that the rise in prices for most dairy products may be due to a reduction in the supply of dairy products from dairy processing plants to retail chains as a result of prolonged power outages during the abnormal heat wave in July.
According to him, some retailers returned dairy products to dairy processing plants due to the lack of conditions for storing perishable products on supermarket shelves. In July, during prolonged power outages, refrigeration equipment was not functioning and a significant amount of dairy products spoiled and were not sold.
This is because the capacity of diesel generators is not enough to provide electricity to the premises of large supermarkets.
The Association of Milk Producers adds that the use of generators has led to an increase in production costs, and the rise in purchase prices for raw milk has affected the price of finished dairy products.
In particular, they became more expensive:
- Pasteurized milk with a fat content of 2.5% costs UAH 47.55 per kg, which is 57 kopecks (+1%) more than in the previous month and UAH 8.36 (+18%) more than in the previous year.
- Sour cream with a fat content of 15% in various containers costs on average UAH 132.92 per kg, which is 56 kopecks (-0.4%) less than in the previous month. Compared to the previous year, sour cream went up by UAH 19.85 (+15%).
- Kefir with a fat content of 2.5% in various containers costs an average of UAH 55.52 per kg, which is 22 kopecks (+0.4%) more than a month ago and UAH 7.87 (+14%) more than last year.
- Drinking yogurt is sold in plastic bottles, film or cardboard boxes. Its price amounted to UAH 94.29 per kg, which is UAH 1.93 (+2%) more than a month ago and UAH 15.52 (+16%) more than last year.
- Yogurt in glasses costs on average UAH 131.34 per kg, which is 67 kopecks (+0.5%) more than by the end of June 2024, but UAH 16.98 (+13%) more than in the previous year
- Cottage cheese with a fat content of 9%, the average price of which amounted to UAH 234.03 per kg, which is UAH 10.73 more (+4.6%) compared to the previous month, but UAH 45.63 (+19%) more compared to the same period last year.
- Domestically produced butter with a fat content of 72.5% to 73% costs an average of UAH 440.08 per kg, which is UAH 17.89 (+4%) more than last month and UAH 94.06 (+21%) more than last year.
- Ukrainian cheese with a fat content of 50%, which on average costs UAH 470.58 per kg. Compared to the previous month, the product went up by UAH 23.66 (+5%) and by UAH 63.11 (+13%) compared to the previous year.
Recall
Denys Marchuk, deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, has warned that due to the power outage, Ukraine is expected to see a rise in food prices, especially for dairy, meat and bakery products. The livestock industry is the most affected by the power outages, which leads to higher costs for producers.