Ukrainian exporters started sending cucumbers to the EU at the beginning of February and despite high prices, European buyers have shown an interest in purchasing Ukrainian cucumbers.
According to Info-Shuvar, Ukrainian hothouse cucumber prices currently cost 52-55 UAH/kg (1.84-1.92 EUR/kg) at the Shuvar Wholesale market, while Polish greenhouse grown cucumbers are being sold for 1.75-1.95 EUR/kg at “Bronisze” in Warsaw.
In 2015, Poland replaced Belarus as the largest export destination.
The biggest competitors for Ukraine in Poland are Turkey and Spain, with Turkish cucumbers having the advantage of a lower price. After the Russian embargo, Turkish suppliers were also forced to start looking for new buyers and markets.
However, Ukrainian suppliers think that Ukrainian cucumbers may be a great competitor for the Turkish produce because of the good price-quality relation. Still, it will be successful only if it is well prepared for sale as it is a premium quality produce that should be carefully selected and packed.
Ukraine exported to the EU a record-breaking amount of cucumbers 2016, with imports coming in at around 2300 tons, compared to a little more than 1000 tons in 2015.
