Honey and what it is worth in 2020

In the first four months of 2020, Ukraine exported 22,553,000 tons of natural honey worth $ 36.5 million, which is 12.8% more in monetary terms than in the same period last year. This is evidenced by data from the State Customs Service.

Exports of domestic honey increased significantly in April this year by 7,694 tons at an average of $ 1.56 / kg, when it was exported to foreign markets in the amount of $ 12.5 million (for comparison, in January – by $ 5.6 million). As we can see, the volume of exports is a record for this period, but at one of the lowest prices in recent years, the purchase price from beekeepers has not changed significantly compared to previous places was an average of 25-27 UAH. per kg.

Germany leads in the volume of purchases of these products in the reporting period, which accounts for 20% and the amount of purchases – $ 7.6 million (12% less than in January-April 2019), which can logically be explained by falling purchase price. In second place – Poland with a share of 18% and the amount of purchases of $ 6.9 million (66.5% more than in the first four months of last year). In third place – Belgium with a share of 16% and the amount of purchases of $ 5.9 million (10% less than last year for the same period.

In general, EU countries increased imports of Ukrainian honey by 2.5% (from $ 27.6 million to $ 28.3 million), Asian countries – by 50% (from $ 1.6 million to $ 2.5 million). From the Americas, almost all Ukrainian honey is bought by the United States, which during the reporting period increased its imports by 88% – from $ 2.9 million to $ 5.5 million, this trend is similar to the trend of early 2017, when exports to this country increased significantly and compensated for the decline in demand in the main importers of Ukrainian honey – the EU.

As of mid-May, the price of the previous season’s honey harvest remains at the same low level with consistently high demand, and exporters are already experiencing problems in finding honey volumes, which has helped raise the purchase price by UAH 1. per kg. in recent months, mass deliveries are no longer happening, as in previous months and the transitional balances have decreased significantly and we estimate about 12-18 thousand tons, which in the long run may lead to their absence in the main harvest of honey in 2020 from sunflower.

During the winter-spring transfer, difficult weather conditions were created for collecting the new harvest honey throughout Ukraine, however, the wintering of bee colonies in most beekeepers was successful and better than in previous years. The southern part of Ukraine is suffering from a drought that has been going on since 2019, then the spring frosts had a negative impact on the expectations of acacia honey harvest. in the western regions of Ukraine, which also does not contribute to the positive expectations of the future harvest. Eatings took place throughout Ukraine, which is already common in this period and which did not add positives in the development of the industry and the expectations of beekeepers. In those regions where there are no large massifs of honey bees, bees no longer have honey reserves for further development.

Today it is clear that the first honey will be much less than in 2019, rapeseed honey has already been collected in some places and the figures are not happy, on average 5-10 kg per family, acacia in the south is frozen and in fact will not give honey. The northern and central part of Ukraine is pending, but the weather forecast is disappointing, it may happen that there will be nothing to collect. The fate of acacia honey in the main place of its collection – Cherkasy region, will be decided in the next 2 weeks. It is already clear that due to poor honey harvest there will be a shortage of the first honey in the domestic market, perhaps at the beginning it will be compensated by the available remnants of the previous season. Due to the formation of significant volumes of export batches for the spring honey harvest of 2020, it may turn out that they will not be formed from anything. The price of rapeseed honey is just being formed, but knowing the functioning of the honey market in Ukraine, there will be no significant increase in purchases at the beginning of the season, today the level of expectations is at the level of 30-32 UAH. per kg. and this despite the fact that in the EU the period of honey collection of this honey has already passed under even worse weather conditions than in Ukraine. Demand for this type of honey is expected to be high, so if it is possible to form batches, the price will continue to rise.

In the long run, Ukraine may end 2020 with a record volume in history and with the complete financial collapse of some beekeepers who entered this industry during a period of significant price growth in 2017-2018. However, it may happen that There will be no significant transitional balances in Ukraine by the end of autumn.