Despite the current harvest in Ukraine, grape prices in supermarkets are determined by imports rather than domestic production, according to Oleksandr Khorev, coordinator of the EastFruit Weekly Ukraine project. He noted that the present availability of grapes is temporary, with prices expected to rise in November.
Ukraine has many small private farms growing table grapes, often for personal use. Some attempt to supply the market, but volumes remain too small and inconsistent to meet retail chain requirements. "Chain retailers require suppliers to supply stable batches: The same quality, caliber, grade, and guaranteed volumes throughout the season. These are standard conditions for international trade, but domestic growers are not yet able to fulfill them," Khorev said.
As a result, Ukrainian grapes are generally sold in small batches at local markets rather than through supermarkets. Industrial vineyard areas were previously concentrated in Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa, regions that have been affected by the war or remain under occupation, which has disrupted large-scale production.
Khorev explained that supermarket prices reflect imports, mainly from Moldova and Turkey, which dominate supplies almost year-round. Abundant seasonal arrivals from these countries are keeping current prices relatively low.
However, this situation is temporary. "We should expect a rise in prices starting in November. The market is gradually shifting to supplies from the southern hemisphere, primarily from Chile, South Africa, and Argentina. This has a significant impact on logistics: ocean transportation means not only additional costs but also time, which automatically increases the final cost of products for the consumer," Khorev noted.
He added, "Thus, in the winter (November – February, as well as the first month of spring), grapes inevitably become more expensive. This rule works year after year, as the geography of supply directly determines the prices on the shelves of Ukrainian supermarkets."
Analysts point out that demand for grapes in Ukraine remains high, but domestic growers need to scale up to an industrial level to compete with imports. This would require expansion of vineyard areas and the development of storage, sorting, and logistics infrastructure to provide supermarkets with stable batches of consistent quality.
For now, grape prices in Ukraine remain tied to global supply chains, with the current low prices explained by seasonal imports from Moldova and Turkey. From November onwards, prices are expected to rise as supply shifts to the southern hemisphere.
Source: Kommersant