OREANDA-NEWS. May 17, 2013. Press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food informs that foodstuffs are becoming more available for Ukrainians. So, in April of the current year consumer prices for them reduced by 3.5% as compared to the respective period of last year.

And it is despite the fact that in April there took place seasonal growth of prices for fruit by 3% and vegetables – by 3.3%. However, on the data of the State Statistics Committee, their prices are lower than last year’s by 7.1% and 16.6% respectively.

On the data of the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, index of consumer prices for foodstuffs in April of 2013 against May of 2013 made up 99.9%.

Besides, in April eggs significantly dropped in price by 13.7%. Prices for tallow, processed cereals, milk, sour cream, rice, sugar, meat and meat products, cheese, margarine and oil were cut by 0.1-2.0%.

It should be noted that over the recent time Ukraine has considerably increased export of certain kinds of foodstuffs, especially vegetables. So, during the first quarter of this year as compared to the respective period of last year, export of potatoes upped more than fivefold and made up 7 thousand tons, cabbage – twofold and made up 2.2 thousand tons. Besides, export of onions grew dozen times – up to 36.4 thousand tons, vegetables of borsh set – up to 8.9 thousand tons.

Moreover, Minister Mykola Prysyazhniuk announced that well-balanced price situation in the domestic market was ensured thanks to the initiated by the Government and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food measures, which are directed to the development of infrastructure of food market. 

“In Ukraine there has been actively operating 4 wholesale agricultural markets – in Kyiv, Lviv, Donetsk and Mariupol, 7 more are on the stage of construction. In them there are no mediators who raise cost of products groundlessly. It is possible to buy necessary products directly from producer. Besides, capacities of potato storages were increased up to 1.4 million tons, which is 5-months’ need of annual consumption of Ukraine, and capacities of vegetable storages - up to 0.9 million tons,” Mykola Prysyazhniuk stressed.