"After early potatoes are sold out, and mid-season and late varieties massively enter the market, approximately in October-November, I think, procurement prices will increase by about 25-30%," predicts Tetiana Oliinyk from the NAAS Institute of Potato Farming.
At the end of summer, prices temporarily fell to 6.5–8 UAH per kilogram due to the mass entry of early varieties, which are not suitable for long-term storage and quickly enter the market after harvest.
Behind the price increase is anomalous heat: for five consecutive days, thermometers showed over 37°C, and this coincided with the flowering and budding phase - precisely when tubers are set.
"At such temperatures, potatoes stop growth processes. This is a crop of temperate climate, so such high temperatures are critical for it. During this period, the plant actually begins to conserve resources and spend them on survival, not on the formation and filling of tubers," explained the expert.
Because of this, the potato harvest in Ukraine in 2026 is expected to be lower than usual.
In winter, potatoes from storage facilities may additionally increase in price by approximately 10% due to the costs of ventilation and maintaining the necessary storage conditions.
The forecast was provided by Tetiana Oliinyk, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences and Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the NAAS Institute of Potato Farming, in a comment to the Glavcom publication.
Source: Glavcom
