Poles have caused problems with the import of food to Ukraine: supermarkets explained what food will go up in price

Due to the blockade of the border by the Poles, Ukraine has had problems importing certain food products from Europe. Against this backdrop, prices for such goods may rise, especially if the blockade is prolonged. In particular, we are talking about coffee, salt, exotic fruits, seafood and alcohol. In addition to food, price increases may affect detergents and cosmetics.

This was reported by representatives of the largest supermarket chains in Ukraine,Interfax-Ukraine reports. Despite the fact that retailers are sounding the alarm, Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (AAC), is confident that there will be no food shortage in Ukraine.

He noted that it is not yet possible to say that certain imported products will disappear from the shelves of Ukrainian stores. However, the longer the blockade lasts, the higher the likelihood will be. "Perhaps this may be limited to red fish, oysters, squid. Such "overseas things"... It could be dairy products. But it is still hard to say how critical it will be," the expert noted.

At the same time, according to Natalia Krasnikova, Deputy General Director of ECO Market for Logistics, the cost of domestic goods should change minimally. The exception may be those items where the share of imported components prevails.

"All of this may lead to a redistribution of the market in favor of Ukrainian companies whose production facilities are located in Ukraine, whose product components are also produced here, and whose companies have sufficient production capacity to close the niches previously occupied by imports," says Krasnikova.

In her opinion, in the short term, the blockade is unlikely to have a strong impact on end-user prices. However, if the situation drags on, prices will start to rise primarily for imported goods.

A number of products are at risk due to the border blockade: what retailers say

ATB supermarkets note that, in addition to Polish goods, goods from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Baltic countries are delivered through the blocked border crossing points. And the share of such goods in the ATB market's assortment is quite significant. In particular, the share of Polish producers is significant in the categories of dairy products, frozen vegetables and fruits, pasta, beverages and alcohol, as well as cosmetics and household chemicals.

The Kolo chain tries to focus on Ukrainian products. But, according to the chain's director, Maryna Sergienko, some products, such as cocoa, coffee, oranges, and salt, are mostly imported. "Today, we estimate our risks at UAH 25-30 million per month. In particular, in the categories of confectionery, alcohol, cheese, and citrus fruits," emphasized Sergienko.

She also said that retailers are trying to stock up before the New Year holidays. However, the blockade of the border has a negative impact on business processes. "This can lead to a shortage of some goods on the shelves. It is important to understand that this may also affect Ukrainian-made products due to the lack of manufacturing components or packaging materials," Sergienko said.

She warned that using other checkpoints does not help retailers solve the problem. Due to the influx of freight transport, queues form there as well, which slows down logistics and leads to additional costs.

"For example, crossing the Ukrainian-Romanian border can increase the delivery time by two to three days, leading to an increase in the cost of delivery by 600-1000 euros per flight. In such circumstances, even if transportation of goods across other borders becomes possible, problems with temperature conditions during transportation may remain critical for food," Sergienko emphasized.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, the blockade of the Polish far-right's border causes significant losses to Ukraine's economy, in particular, due to a decrease in the amount of goods imported into the country. However, there is no need to talk about a critical decline in imports and an impending shortage of certain items: businesses are actively looking for alternative ways to import goods or offer Ukrainians affordable analogues.

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