According to a report by Reuters, poor weather conditions for potato cultivation in Ukraine this year have led to an 18% drop in the harvest, causing a sharp jump in prices, higher imports and accelerated inflation, officials and analysts say.
Often dubbed ‘second bread’, potatoes are a staple of the Ukrainian diet, with average consumption at about 130 kg per person a year, well above average bread consumption of up to 20 kg a year. The agriculture ministry forecasts that this year’s potato harvest could fall to 17.5 million metric tons versus 21.3 million in 2023.
“This is the result of bad weather conditions, as the sown area remained unchanged at 1.2 million hectares,” Taras Vysotskiy, the first deputy minister, told Reuters. The population consumes about 4 million tons of potatoes, while about 3 million tons are used for sowing, up to 6 million tons are used for animal feed, and a significant portion spoils during storage.
Vysotskiy says there is no reason for potato prices to rise further in the country, as imports from Poland and the Baltics have started to balance the market.
Source: XM.com. Full story here
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