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During the winter season we talk about the smells in the market, their prices, and as the summer season approaches we talk about strawberries. According to Vyacheslav Karmanov, director of the Old and New Markets of the Klaipeda Municipality, this year the weather conditions were not such that the market could already offer Lithuanian strawberries to buyers. And last year there were already them at that time, but a kilogram cost about 10 euros.
The first Lithuanian strawberries should appear on the markets of the port city in 10-12 days. Initially, their price will be high, and after a week or two, when more appear on the market, they will start to decline. According to V. Karmanov, despite the high price, there are always people who buy at least half a kilogram of the first berries. “And the first are usually older people. Perhaps the grandchildren will be treated, ”he said.
Lithuanian strawberries are preferred
Strawberries are marketed in the markets, you can always say, both in winter and in summer, but they are imported from other countries. Recently, the batch received by Klaipeda traders came from Greece. “The taste of Greek strawberries is already similar to what we are used to: they both smell like strawberries and are delicious,” said V. Karmanov.
By the way, there are still no slightly cheaper Polish strawberries in the coastal markets. It is believed that they should appear these days. Perhaps a myth, perhaps not, but the people of the coast think that Lithuanian strawberries are tastier, that they are less fertilized. Traders say that Poles are not inferior to anyone, that they are also delicious. Where they are grown, it is warmer than here, and the Poles have great experience in growing strawberries.
Sometimes women who shop near stores or in other parts of the street sell Polish or strawberries brought from other countries, but write that they are Lithuanian.
“We don’t have those things, because traders look at each other a lot (laughs). God forbid if this happens, I report it to management immediately. And our controller is very picky, he makes sure there are notes on the origin. of berries, “said V. Karmanov.
Always buy at Laimutė
In the new market we met Benedikt Petrauskas, Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Development at the University of Klaipeda. “Now good Greek strawberries, so I buy them. We cannot have berries in Lithuania all year round. The time will come, there will be Lithuanians, then I will buy only from them. In my opinion, the first berries are not the best.
The best happens when more time passes, when they receive more sun. Now there are no Lithuanians and you have to eat strawberries because they are very healthy for your heart. These people are very popular with people my age. We are currently eating Greek strawberries.
In the past, we started eating those berries later, now we do it earlier and eat for a longer period of time, but certainly not year-round. I am very skeptical about eating strawberries out of its time. I never buy those berries in December. When the first strawberries appear somewhere in January, I don’t attack either. And the price is not quite correct and it is not necessary. In my opinion, it is healthier to eat berries the moment they appear ”, said B. Petrauskas.
Sometimes he goes to buy berries and to the Klaipeda district market, Gargždai. Prices are lower there. So buy more berries to cook the jams. The vice-chancellor admitted that he loved his jams very much.
“I always come to Laimutė to shop at the new Klaipeda market. It is now a popular remote purchasing method. I give her an order over the phone because I trust her. She prepares for me, she never puts bad berries, and I I come to collect them. This way I am in the market for less time, I do not have to wait long, “said Mr. Benedict.
We still have to wait for the Poles
Liubovė Lavrenova, who has been selling fruits and vegetables on the market for 12 years, says she started selling strawberries earlier this year. He currently sells Greek, which he says is the most delicious of the imported ones.
And these berries have not been shipped from Spain for five years: they are of good quality, but they are not as delicious as the Greek ones. There are many of the latter species, and the most delicious is Victoria, because it is sweeter, harder and reminiscent of Lithuanian berries.
The trader said that it was still too early for Lithuanian strawberries, Polish ones should be expected first. One kilogram of the first Lithuanian berries to be delivered in greenhouses, he believes, will cost between 8 and 12 euros. Initially, fewer berries will be bought as many people wait for prices to drop. Later, when farmers grow a lot, the price of good strawberries will drop to 3-3.5 euros.
Ms. Liubovė believes that strawberries will not be very expensive this year, because the weather conditions were not very bad, they do not freeze. Farmers trading those berries take extra care of them and keep them under film in colder climates.
“We have an excellent farmer from Skuodas. Robertas Šerpytis strawberries have very good quality and taste. They like strawberries, they melt in your mouth, sweet. And buyers ask for their strawberries. I think we will have them for a good month,” he said L. Lavrenova.
Berries tend to be bought from the market.
L. Lavrenova believes that people who buy berries go to the market more often. In stores they are more expensive, despite various promotions. Also, there are no rotten berries in the jars of the market traders. “It just came to our notice then. I never added any rotten berries. Wow, I even picked all the vegetables from the jar. We are working hard and the stores don’t have enough staff to go back to pick the berries from the jars,” he said.
According to her, buyers often prefer to buy Lithuanian strawberries and vegetables, so that, in her opinion, Lithuanian farmers could expand their holdings. “One of our acquaintances has planted a lot of blueberries, but he will still plant them, because these berries are in great demand.
Lithuanian blueberries usually appear around July. They are also available in a variety of species and are in the market until October. When the trade changes, I would not say that they would be more expensive than the Poles, “said the interviewer. He recalled that four years ago, a kilogram of the first Lithuanian blueberries cost about 18 euros.
According to V. Karmanovas, there are still no Lithuanian blueberries in the coastal markets, currently those imported from Spain are marketed. His kilogram costs between 10 and 12 euros. In his opinion, Lithuanians should appear in two or three weeks.
The first apricots appeared
The situation in the Old Market is the same and the prices are more or less the same. V. Karmanov himself is surprised that for some reason there is a tradition in the Old Market that the market day is on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There is no such tradition in the new market, it is traded daily, although of course most people do it on Saturdays.
According to the market director, the first Lithuanian potatoes will also appear on the market later this year. By the way, the first apricots brought from Spain already appeared last Friday. Its 1 kg costs 5.8-6 euros. The new port market has a great selection of grapes. There are even imported from Chile, not just from Spain.
Watermelons, also imported from Spain, are still expensive: a kilo costs almost 3 euros. In stores they are half or even three times cheaper.
“But the Spanish know very well. These are the watermelons that I remember from childhood. By the way, the price can be negotiated. When we go to Turkey, we remember that we have to negotiate and that it can be done with us in the market, no. I think our traders can lower the price a bit, “said V. Karmanov.
The flower trade has yet to accelerate
Currently, the seedlings are commercialized at full speed in the New Market. Trading with them was banned last spring. By the way, the flowers for planting are also delayed for sale by about two weeks. According to the market director, they were already full at the beginning of May, and this year the trading started only from May 10. and so far the trade has not yet accelerated.
“During the three days when the air temperature rose to 25-26 degrees, we had an influx of people buying various seedlings,” said V. Karmanov.
By the way, shopping in the New Market is very convenient for gardeners, because there is a bus stop near the meat pavilion, which goes to the Dituva gardens.
Ms. Angelė Danutė inspected the flowers she wanted to plant on the grave. He took comfort in not being able to buy a beautiful plant for a small nursery near his home. Because newly planted, and after a few nights do not stay – steal. When the neighbor’s beautiful tulips bloomed, they were also picked up.
“Last year I had a beautiful rose, and I grew it right outside the door. It was uprooted with all its roots. Neighbor Justina also dug up the flowers, so now we have planted the largest number of widows, ”said Angelė Danutė, who was vaccinated twice with the Pfizer vaccine, so she bravely walks through the market without a mask.
Gargždai farmer Povilas, who grows tomato seedlings in a greenhouse and sells them for 70 to 80 cents, complained that the heat was lacking, that the greenhouse needed to be heated because the spring was cold. You only trade for a week and people are slowly starting to buy them.
Plans to end the year without losses
In the first quarter of this year, the New Market was trading at a loss. Even today, operating 100 percent. Can not: non-food trade is not allowed on Saturdays and Sundays. “We are waiting for the vaccination process to accelerate so much that the country acquires general immunity, then we can restore those traditions that were before the quarantine,” said V. Karmanov.
According to him, this year fewer people visit the markets than in previous years. Due to various past restrictions, their flows have decreased. “The market is slowly recovering. Initially, the sale of non-food products, as well as flowers, was completely prohibited. After a while, they were allowed to trade, and even later, stores were opened that have a separate entrance from the Exterior.
The only restriction now is that non-food products cannot be marketed on Saturdays and Sundays. And on Saturdays for merchants the same business year. We hope that in a week or two we can work with complete freedom, “said V. Karmanov.
The sale of non-food products has been banned since December 15, when the most popular products were winter boots and jackets. And only recently was it allowed to trade again. “And where do the merchants have to put those winter boots and jackets now?
They suffer losses: they will have to wait another year before they are sold out. Now you have to look for clothes with short sleeves, and the products bought last year have not yet been out of stock. He has not worked for half a year, there is no money – difficult times for traders “, – said the director of market.
According to him, although the first quarter was not profitable for the New Market, the situation is expected to improve, so it is planned to do everything possible to work without losses this year. V. Karmanov very much regrets that due to the lack of working capital, the market cannot implement investment projects.
