Spring frosts in Ukraine: experts explained how this will affect the harvest of fruit trees and prices
Kyiv • UNN
April frosts hit apricots the most, and peach prices may increase by 20-25% in summer. There are also losses in the blueberry and apple harvest.
Spring frosts in Ukraine hit apricots, the situation with peaches is more or less normal. However, in summer they may become 20-25% more expensive than last year, reports UNN.
The scale of losses of fruit harvest due to spring frosts
The head of "UkrSadvynprom" Volodymyr Pechko told UNN journalist that April frosts hit apricots.
"The situation with apricots is very difficult, because it is basically a risky crop and apricots have been suffering for more than a year. It cannot be said that Ukrainians will be left without apricots at all, but it is very likely that there will be no Ukrainian apricots in supermarkets," said Pechko.
He also commented on the situation with the peach harvest.
"As for peaches, the situation is more or less normal. It was slightly affected somewhere, but not globally, that is, somewhere 15-20% (affected by frost - ed.), it varies in different regions within these limits. But this is not global," said Pechko.
According to him, the situation with cherries is more or less stable, nothing has been affected in the regions, because early cherries may be affected, and late cherries have not yet blossomed.
"This year there is also a question about apples. The frosts affected the flowering, the harvest was destroyed at some enterprises," said Pechko.
In addition, Pechko spoke about the destruction of blueberry crops due to spring frosts.
There are losses of blueberries in Cherkasy region, somewhere 60% and 85% and in the north of Ukraine, but in general there will be blueberries, because in Transcarpathia early varieties were affected - somewhere up to 20%, late varieties somewhere 40%. However, Ukraine is large and each region has its own plantations, so in general this will not affect the situation
Impact on fruit prices for the summer of 2025 and forecast of their cost
Economic expert Oleg Pendzyn predicted to UNN how much the prices of peaches and apricots may rise in the summer due to April frosts.
One year is not like another, depending on how much imports will cost. We have a balancing import of peaches and apricots. It also depends on what the dollar exchange rate will be, because imports depend on the dollar. In any case, I think that (they - ed.) will be 20-25% more expensive than last year, although there were frosts in the spring last year as well
Forecast of vegetable prices for the summer of 2025
The head of the Committee of Economists of Ukraine Andriy Novak told UNN journalist that vegetable prices traditionally decrease in summer, because a new season begins and it can be expected that the "borscht set" will be cheaper than, for example, on the New Year or even in the spring period.
"How much prices will change will depend on the region. Prices will change differently in different regions. It also depends on the size of the settlement. The highest prices will traditionally be in Kyiv, and the lowest in rural areas, small towns, and villages.
It is difficult to predict by how many percent prices will be lower now, but the fact that there will be a decrease with the arrival of the new season can be clearly predicted," said Novak.
Novak noted that how much vegetable prices will decrease will be influenced by several factors, such as the situation with the hryvnia exchange rate, with gasoline, electricity, and gas prices.
If there are no sharp changes, we can expect that the cost of the vegetable group will decrease by several tens of percent in the summer
Supplement
Deputy Head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council Denys Marchuk said in early May that frosts in Ukraine damaged part of the fruit and berry crops. In particular, up to 80% of the harvest of apricots and peaches may be lost.