Ukrainian Apple Season: What to Expect from Harvest and Prices
Kyiv • UNN
The apple harvesting season in Ukraine lasts from September to November, with early varieties being picked in August. This year's harvest of quality apples is expected to be low due to weather conditions and the lack of protective technologies.
Apples are one of the most popular fruits in Ukraine. Almost every homeowner in their garden in a country house has an apple tree. Or even more than one. Ukrainians use apples for a quick snack at work, bake pies with them, and sometimes prepare exquisite apple dishes that are served at the festive table. When the apple season starts, whether a large harvest should be expected this year, and what the prices for this product will be – Volodymyr Pechko, head of the public union "Ukrsadvinprom", told a journalist from UNN.
Start of the apple season
The apple harvesting season is September-November. The export season for apples is September-February. During this period, we export apples abroad to various countries around the world, practically on all continents. The season in Ukraine is practically year-round; we have practically closed ourselves off, closed our market from import dependence. We fully meet our apple needs.
The head of "Ukrsadvinprom" also noted that the harvesting of early apples begins in August, and in autumn, regular apples intended for storage are harvested.
"Early apples are harvested in August; they are called summer apples. September-November is when regular, autumn apples are harvested. These are apples that will be stored in cold storage chambers with a controlled gas environment," the expert explained.
Volodymyr Pechko also emphasized that apple storage conditions vary. Those who have appropriate storage facilities can store apples for almost a whole year.
They are stored differently. Some have a controlled gas environment, so storage can be extended for almost the entire year. Those who don't can extend the storage period until January, for example.
Apple harvest will be small
The expert said that, as last year, the harvest of quality apples will be low. The reason for this is the inability to protect the harvest from weather conditions.
"The harvest this year will be approximately at the level of last year – not many apples this year. Just like last year, there will be few quality apples. This happens due to weather conditions. After all, we have not resolved the issue of hail nets in horticultural farms," Pechko explained.
The gardener also added that Ukraine significantly lags behind European countries, which have much stronger capabilities for growing and preserving apples. Europeans use all possible modern technologies for this.
Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium - they don't play around like us, saying, whatever grows, grows. These countries try to protect the harvest from the beginning of planting to the harvesting stage. Hail nets must be in place. Special irrigation is installed. Even technological irrigation with an emphasis on the garden. But these are modern technologies; we practically don't have such yet. To begin with, we need to provide at least hail nets. We have them in Ukraine, but only at modern, flagship enterprises. But this is a cost of 10-15 thousand dollars per hectare.
What will be the prices for apples
Volodymyr Pechko also explained that apple prices will initially decrease due to the large quantity of summer apples, but in the following year, prices will start to rise.
This year, prices will initially decrease because there will be both summer and autumn apples. And we are an agrarian country; apples are in every yard, some are grown by parents, grandmothers, grandfathers. But next year, in 2026, the price may return to the level of last year's prices and even break records.
Pechko said that in 2024, the price per kilogram of apples reached 70-80 hryvnias. However, he expressed hope that this record would not be broken either this year or next.
This year, in the summer of 2025, apples from the 2024 harvest were already 70-80 hryvnias per kilogram. These were approximately last year's prices. In 2026, the price may also be approximately the same. I don't really believe that we will break last year's price record. I hope we will have a harvest so that the market regulates itself in such a way that both producers are satisfied with their prices and harvest, and consumers are also satisfied with the price. After all, it is also worth remembering that the country is currently undergoing many trials.
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