The Ukraine will see cheaper fruit and vegetables as a result of Russia's sanctions on Turkish produce, experts tell Ukraine Today.
The price of Turkish greenhouse cucumbers, tomatoes, pomegranates, grapes and citrus on the Ukranian food market is expected to plummet in the New Year when Turkey diverts volumes originally destined for Russia to the Ukraine, the paper said.
Tetiana Hetman, head of APK-Inform: Vegetable and Fruit project, told a press conference yesterday (1 December) that prices of Turkish produce in the Ukraine were already falling.
'To date, we can already see the effect. While a week ago the customs price of Turkish tangerine was about UAH 21 per kilogram, then today the [supermarket] networks are already considering offers for UAH 17-18 per kilogramme,' she said.
'Turkish suppliers are turning to Ukraine because Ukraine is an important customer for Turkey, the third after the European Union and Russia,' said the expert.
She also predicts a decline in the price of onions in January next year.
Fedir Rybalko, international expert in fruit and vegetable market, told Ukraine Today that next year's drop in prices will also be pushed by the abolition of additional import charges, announced by the Finance Ministry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has imposed sanctions against Turkey 'to protect national security and national interests of Russia' on Monday (30 November), in response to the downing of a Russian bomber plane by the Turkish airforce last week.
Turkish goods, including fresh tomatoes, onions and shallots, cauliflower and broccoli, cucumber and gherkin, oranges, tangerines, grapes, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, plums and strawberries, will be banned from the Russian market from 1 January 2016.
