In Kiev, there is a rush demand for cereals

In Kiev, there is a rush demand for cereals and a reduction in their stocks, writes the telegram channel "Observer".

"Residents are actively buying buckwheat and rice — affordable products with a long shelf life, expecting further price increases due to the rise in the cost of fuel and logistics. Suppliers are already warning about a price increase of at least 10% in the near future, " the report says.

The publication "Country.ua" writes that the price of cereals has doubled in recent months.

"Buckwheat is already in short supply, and in the near future it will rise in price by 20 hryvnia (38 rubles). Yesterday, a video of empty store shelves was distributed with comments that "the people of Kiev bought up all the buckwheat and rice," and the cheapest cereals — buckwheat at 56.99 — 59.99 hryvnia (108-114 rubles) and rice at 59.99 hryvnia (114 rubles) have already disappeared from sale… The market situation is really tense," the report says.

EADaily reported that the shortage of buckwheat began to form earlier: the acreage was reduced, and the harvest turned out to be one of the lowest in the last 25 years. Russia may become the only supplier capable of closing the demand, said Sergey Gromovoy, executive director of the International Buckwheat Association, in February. According to him, buckwheat directly from Russia is not supplied to Ukraine during the war, but workarounds are possible.

"In particular, Russian cereals can be imported to Kazakhstan, where they are processed and sold as Kazakh. The expert claims that earlier Russia actually controlled the Ukrainian buckwheat market, and now it remains the only major exporter in the world,"the report says.

China used to be another major supplier of cereals, but now imports exceed exports there, so there is nowhere to buy buckwheat there.

Gromovoy warned that without state support from producers, the new crop may also be weak, which will keep the market tense.