In conditions of abolished subsidies and, as a result, grown cost of milk, producers of fresh milk products decided to increase the prices more essentially, than before. 

Many of them lifted prices by 5-7% at once. It is not known yet how negatively it will be reflected at sales, but they will definitely fall, after all Ukrainians became poorer in 2015.

In the middle of January leading manufacturers offered in trade: 2.5% milk in cheap pouches at UAH 8.0-9.0/l, 2.5% kefir – at UAH 9.8-10.5/l, sour cream (15%) – at UAH 21-23/kg, curd (9%) – at UAH 46-53/kg.

Many operators try to keep sales of fresh milk products to Crimea, as the prices are much higher there, than at the continent. But now this trade is considered as export, and not all can deliver the products. The situation was especially aggravated from the beginning of this year. Now Crimean businessmen must draw purchases of products from continental part of Ukraine as import on the basis of Russian legislation. Certainly, not all Ukrainian suppliers and Crimean buyers could follow new requirements. But the cleaned out shelves in shops probably forced Crimean authorities to weaken requirements. A number of Ukrainian suppliers renewed deliveries in the second decade of January.

The largest exporters of fresh milk products (incl sales to Crimea) were Lactalis, Loostdorf, Danone, Pridneprovskiy Plant. The majority of them sell the products to Crimea not directly, but through distributors or distribution networks, without export registration.

Source: infagro.com.ua