According to analysts Eastfruit, the potato rush caused by the active import of potatoes to Russia and Belarus during the harvesting of their own harvest, gradually subsided. However, he smoothly moved to the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Potato imports to Belarus and Russia did not stop, the market reached a point of equilibrium between supply and demand by increasing the supply of locally produced potatoes and saturating the market with imported goods. As a result, potato prices in Belarus have remained stable for four weeks, and in Russia for three weeks.
But the price fixation point remains high. In Belarus, the wholesale price for potatoes is exactly two times higher than a year earlier on the same date, and in Russia it is 2,1 times higher. At the same time, potatoes are more expensive in Russia - $ 0,48 versus $ 0,37 per kg in Belarus. For comparison, in Ukraine, high-quality potatoes are now sold at $ 0,23 per kg, and in Moldova - at $ 0,20.
Belarus both imported potatoes from Ukraine and continues to do so, but in smaller volumes. Market participants say that the volume of re-export of Ukrainian potatoes to Russia has also significantly decreased. Russia continues to buy potatoes from many countries of the world, including Iran, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan. According to operational data, potatoes from Pakistan are also present on the Russian market.
High prices for potatoes in Belarus and Russia have led to an increase in prices for this product in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Under the influence of potato exports to Russia, potato prices in Moldova also increased. There is a rather unusual situation in the domestic market - there are no imported products on sale at all. However, the storage infrastructure is not well developed in the country, so all market participants are confident that prices will grow even faster in the near future.
Prices have also increased in Georgia. Until recently, the export of potatoes from Georgia was abnormally high, so everyone expects further price increases. Expectations are so high that seasonal workers are hired to complete the potato harvest at a very high rate in the country of $ 25 per day.
Buyers of wholesale lots of potatoes for deliveries to the Uzbek market have appeared in Tajikistan. Potato prices in Tajikistan are currently about $ 0,27 per kg - two times lower than in Uzbekistan. By the way, this is the lowest price in the entire region.
Even in Kazakhstan, which is the largest exporter of potatoes in the region, prices for potatoes are currently significantly higher. At the same time, Kazakhstan itself is breaking records in terms of potato imports.
Another interesting point is the appearance on the Uzbek market of potatoes from Afghanistan. The supply volumes are assessed as rather high, however, market participants report that, perhaps, we are talking not only about Afghan potatoes, but also about the re-export of potatoes from Pakistan to Uzbekistan.