Expensive Ukrainian cheese in Jan provokes significant increase in imports
Ukrainian cheesemakers have not yet managed to get out of the crisis, their products are expensive, and accordingly, sales are weak, while the export of European cheese is growing, which is also clearly not to the benefit of domestic producers, the industry information and analytical agency Infagro reported.
"This crisis can only be resolved by reducing cheese prices. On the other hand, if sales are really bad, use various promotional tools. If the price issue is not resolved, imports will continue to squeeze Ukrainian producers out of their own market," the analysts warned.
They admitted that due to high prices on the domestic market, Ukrainian-made cheese is not selling very well, so producers are trying to increase exports. In January 2025, they increased foreign sales of cheeses by 25% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, imports were also significantly higher in a similar comparison. Hard/semi-hard cheeses were purchased in January by a quarter more than in January 2024.
"This is a lot, given the relatively small capacity of the Ukrainian cheese market," the experts stated.
The situation in the cheese products market is also quite disappointing. Attempts by leading players to increase export prices ended in a significant decrease in sales volumes. Therefore, it was necessary to reduce prices again in order not to completely lose sales markets, the industry agency summarized.