Ukraine has a negative apple trade balance for the first time in eight years

In the 2025 calendar year, Ukraine recorded a negative balance of foreign trade in apples for the first time since 2017 – imports exceeded exports both in physical volumes and in monetary terms.

This was told by the head of USPA Fruit Volodymyr Gurzhiy to the magazine “Sadivnystvo po-Ukrainsky”.

According to the results of the year, Ukraine exported 14.5 thousand tons of apples for $8.4 million, while imports amounted to 22.6 thousand tons for $27.8 million. Thus, the country purchased almost 8 thousand tons more products than it sold, and imported apples cost more than three times more.

“This imbalance arose for the first time in the last eight years and became an indicator of a structural problem in the market,” Volodymyr Gurzhiy notes.

According to him, the situation may worsen in the coming months due to a possible increase in imports, primarily from Poland. “If the volume of apples in refrigerators remains high, either the negative balance will repeat, or the domestic price will decrease under supply pressure,” he explains.

The expert adds that even with crop losses, Poland retains a multiple advantage in production volumes, which creates a constant risk of import pressure on the Ukrainian market.

Tags: Ukraine, apples