Ukraine's 2025 vegetable season has been marked by unusual delays both in greenhouses and in open fields, AgroPortal.ua reports. A cold, prolonged spring postponed transplanting of seedlings by nearly a month, pushing harvests back and creating risks for autumn-planted lettuce that may not be harvested before colder weather arrives.
According to Roman Pasichnyk, co-founder of Podillia Ovochi (Ternopil region) and head of Fresh Garden (Kyiv region), this was one of the most atypical seasons in recent years. Sweet pepper seedlings were planted late, shifting the harvest period by almost a month, while field-grown tomatoes such as the Slivka variety also ripened 20–30 days later than usual.
In greenhouses, tomato harvests that usually start in late May began only in mid-June. Many growers delayed switching to cucumbers in the second cycle, but this led to oversupply later in the season. Wholesale cucumber prices, which reached UAH 30–35/kg (€0.62-0.72) in early September, dropped to UAH 10–13/kg (€0.21-0.27) by mid-month, below production costs. Pasichnyk expects prices to stabilize in the coming weeks as supply decreases.
Tomato prices remained relatively strong, with greenhouse produce sold at UAH 40–80/kg (€0.82-1.64) during the season. Field-grown Slivka tomatoes are currently traded at UAH 12–15/kg (€0.25-0.31), but limited supply could push prices higher.
The lettuce market faced increased competition, with small farms and large companies entering production, leading to oversupply and lower prices. At the same time, overall production costs rose due to higher prices for imported inputs and rising wages, while labor shortages, particularly in the Kyiv region, remain acute, with farms short of 20–30% of workers.
Producers will review profitability in November before planning the 2026 season, with cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce likely to remain core crops.
Source: agroportal.ua