Chilled meat of all types continued to rise in price by an average of 1.9-3.3% in national retail chains in early fall, according to the Pig Producers of Ukraine (PPU).
“In September, there was a gradual increase in prices for chicken and beef, so the average price of these types of meat added 2% and 3.3% to the August figure. Although retail prices for pork changed direction during the month, the average price per kilogram for the analyzed period also showed an increase of 1.9% compared to August to 203.5 UAH/kg,” the analysts said.
At the same time, according to them, it is 2.1% more affordable than in September last year.
Experts noted that in September, unlike in previous periods, the thigh part went up by 4.6%, or almost 7.5 UAH/kg compared to August. The increase in prices for pork tenderloin did not exceed the average mark, but due to the higher price of this semi-finished product, it was more noticeable for the wallets of Ukrainian consumers (+4.8 UAH/kg). The rise in price of other pork products was limited to 3-4 UAH/kg.
Another difference in September was the inconsistency of changes in pork prices in purchases and on supermarket shelves.
“If in August the direction of movement of quotations in the pork market corresponded to the rise in price of slaughterhouse pigs, in early autumn the situation changed. Thus, in the first half of September, live pork prices dropped significantly, while retail prices continued to grow by inertia. At the same time, the reaction of store price tags to the positive correction of purchase prices was more rapid. While the average price of pork in supermarkets was 1.9% higher than in August, pig farms received 4.4% less per kilogram of live weight sold than in the previous month,” the industry association summarized.