As a result of spring frosts, Ukrainian farmers suffered significant losses in peach harvests in 2025, leading to a shortage of domestic fruits in the market. According to experts, losses reached up to 90% of the harvest for this crop, with some farms missing out on hundreds of tons of products worth millions of hryvnias. In particular, a company near Odesa missed out on 120 tons of peaches, which amounts to about 7.2 million UAH in lost revenue.
This is reported by Finway
Imported Fruits Will Dominate the Market
Due to the critical shortage of local fruits during the July-September season, the shelves of Ukrainian supermarkets will be predominantly filled with imported products. The price of imported fruits is already 20-30% higher than their Ukrainian counterparts. Dmitro Ostapenko, Managing Director of “Green Technology LTD,” reported that the share of imports this season will exceed 90% of the entire range of stone fruits.
“Due to massive losses in stone fruits, the state will not be able to meet domestic demand during the July-September season.”
Causes of Losses and Ways to Avoid Future Damages
Experts explain that the wave of frosts in the Odesa region lasted from April 7 to 13, when the trees were in the phase of active blooming. Due to thermal inversion, where nighttime surface temperatures sharply dropped, a significant portion of the harvest was lost. Peach orchards were particularly affected, while vineyards suffered almost no harmful effects, as the plants had not yet reacted to the frosts.
In Ukraine, modern frost protection systems, such as wind machines or irrigation, which can raise the temperature in the orchard by 5-7 °C, are rarely used. In EU countries, particularly Romania and Poland, such technologies are actively implemented thanks to grant support and compensation for equipment costs, allowing farmers to effectively protect their crops.
The lack of adequate protection led to the situation where even those trees that produced a minimal harvest could not cover the costs of care, irrigation, and fertilization, turning farmers’ activities into a loss-making endeavor. Experts emphasize the need to implement cutting-edge technologies and analytical tools to avoid similar losses in the future and ensure the stability of fruit production in Ukraine.