Cabbage market shock in Western Ukraine: some producers are already giving away their crops for free

By: Trademagazin Date: 2026. 01. 16. 10:22

🎧 Hallgasd a cikket: Nyelv: Sebesség: 1.05×

In western Ukraine, in the Ternopil region, the producer price of cabbage has fallen so low that some farms are already distributing the harvested goods for free. According to reports, the purchase price has fallen to between 1.5–8 UAH/kg (approx. 12–62 HUF/kg), which is a drop of about 85% compared to the previous year, writes Agrarszektor.

The expert summary cited by FruitVeB highlights three main reasons behind the situation:

overproduction (the fact that farmers who had moved from the south due to the war also entered production may have played a role in the increase in area),
prolonged, rainy harvest, which worsened the quality and storability of the goods,
lack of modern storage capacity (without cold storage, the lots deteriorate faster, so producers are forced to “scatter” the goods).

Storage risk in the region is also increased by power outages are confirmed: according to the articles, the use of generators can increase costs by 10–25%, while in the case of poorly stored, lower-quality items, losses of 30–40% can occur even before reaching the market.

According to experts, however, a slow correction is expected: as poorly stored items expire, prices may gradually increase, and by March the average price may stabilize around 6 UAH/kg (approx. 46 HUF/kg).