Lemons could disappear from the shelves of Ukrainian supermarkets in the middle of April due to the closure of the Turkish market and possible difficulties with supplies from Spain, Development Director at the Ukrainian Horticultural Association Kateryna Zvereva has said.
“Ukraine imports annually around 55,000 tonnes of lemons (54,300 tons in 2019). Deliveries from Turkey account for more than 60% of the total. Due to the closure of the Turkish market, products from this country will be replaced by products from South America (Argentina is second largest supplier of lemons to Ukraine after Turkey), “she told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Zvereva, in the middle of April, a situation when consumers will not be able to find lemons on the shelves of Ukrainian supermarkets may arise.
“Deliveries of lemons from Turkey are limited due to the closure of the market. Deliveries from Spain are also a big question (due to the strong spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic in the country). And lemons from Argentina simply will not have time to reach the country by sea physically,” the expert said.
The development director of the Ukrainian Horticultural Association said that lemon prices have doubled over the past month. At the beginning of March, the average price was UAH 40-45 per kg, now it is UAH 80-90 per kg.
“Now it’s difficult to predict the price increase as the situation is developing rapidly and it is not clear what will happen tomorrow. But, it’s also worthwhile to understand that Turkish lemon is the cheapest. If the consumption level does not change, it is likely that the price of lemon may increase and reach over UAH 100,” Zvereva said.
