Power outages to push up food prices in Ukraine — portal
According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, power supply problems remain in Ukraine’s capital Kiev and 17 administrative regions of the country, including Odessa
KIEV, November 22. /TASS/. The ongoing power outages in Ukraine may lead to food price growth and even shortages of certain categories of food in Ukraine, the country’s UBR analytical portal said on Tuesday.
Vegetable storage facilities need lots of electricity for heating and cooling purposes, and companies facing power outages have to use diesel generators to ensure proper storage conditions. This electricity is four times more expensive than direct deliveries from power plants, Deputy Chair of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council Denis Marchuk told the portal.
Another expert, head of the Union of Poultry Breeders in Ukraine Sergey Karpenko, said frequent power outages are affecting the poultry industry as well, since they disrupt the technological process and increase production costs. In his words, the industry is also experiencing a lack of diesel generators.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said on November 18 that almost half of Ukraine’s power infrastructure had been disabled. Later in the day, Lvov Mayor Andrey Sadovoy warned residents that they need to prepare for possible disruptions in power supply and central heating services, lasting for a week or even two. In a separate development earlier this month, angry Odessa residents blocked a road in the city, protesting against regular and lengthy power outages.
According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, power supply problems remain in Ukraine’s capital Kiev and 17 administrative regions of the country, including Odessa.