Large strawberry harvest in the Lithuanian fields: warns that prices will rise

This year, buyers are eager to take advantage of the opportunity to buy strawberries in a somewhat unusual and cheaper way: they pick them directly from the field. This happened because it is difficult to find enough seasonal workers. The price increase begins when the mass harvest ends, the berries are no longer harvested by hobbyists, and the late varieties are marketed only on factory farms.

In retail chains, these berries were slightly more expensive than last year.

“This year’s strawberry season is similar to last year’s: so far the sun has been spoiled, so the harvest was good. From now on, it will all depend on the weather. Currently, the berries are a little bit more expensive due to late spring compared to last year, but we are observing a trend that prices are steadily declining. The Lithuanian strawberry season, which started this year in the last weeks of April, is forecast to continue into less until August, but there were years when strawberries grown in our country could be enjoyed until October. After the end of the Lithuanian berries, we imported strawberries from other countries. Their price depends on the season and the climate: if the season is favorable , many berries, the price is lower ”, says Marius Tilmantas, Head of the Maxima Procurement Department.

It’s also interesting that this year’s strawberries have a slightly different flavor than usual.

“This year’s harvest will be quite high. Those who have had irrigation systems can enjoy the quantity, but the berries lack flavor, are unusually acidic. Although there is a lot of sun, there is most likely a lack of heat in the spring ”, Darius Kviklys, director of the Lithuanian Association of Fruit and Berry Business Gardens, describes the results of this season and says that this year’s prices are similar to last year’s.

It is not clear how much farmers will attribute per hectare, as it depends on the qualification and the cultivation method and the use of chemical products. Yields can range from 3 t per hectare on an organic farm and up to 18 t on an intensive industrial farm.

This year’s harvest is particularly high.

Danguolė Lingienė, the owner of Braškių ūkio, located in the Anykščiai district, says that at the beginning of the season there seemed to be no harvest. According to her, due to the cold and the drought, strawberries simply did not grow and clung to the ground. When the weather was hot and warm, the berries tripled a lot.

“I take care of strawberries like my children, but I don’t understand what is happening this year. There were very high yields and large berries. During the first week they were almost inedible, very tasteless from the cold and now all with good taste and appearance. I can say that the berries are too much, but they no longer have a marketable appearance.

People buy willingly. Those who get up are very happy and come a few more times. We give a kilogram of very beautiful berries for 1.5 euros, and we sell already collected 2 – 2.5 euros per kilogram, “she says.

The harvest was saved by rain.

According to the interlocutor, buyers appear, but this year the farmer faced a problem when other berries were sold in Vilnius on behalf of his farm. D. Lingienė says that the performance is 10 times better than last year.

“If it hadn’t been for that magic rain for a few days, it would have been bad. And again there was a drought now, and they bounced back after a rainy night. Last year, there were almost no berries, and prices are higher this year, people see a good product and pay for it. There could be more of those buyers, but we are in the province, “says the interlocutor.

At the end of the season, the price rises sharply to virši

According to her, at the end of the season, strawberry prices are rising very sharply. D. Lingienė recalls that last year prices reached 1.7-2.5 euros per kilogram, and then rose to 3-3.5 euros per kilogram.

“We still have late strawberries. This year and the terrible heat has changed everything, we are not yet choosing the earlier variety, but at the same time we are choosing the late variety. For those who are not late, the season will end and I guarantee that prices will go up for all “rooms”.

The end of the season depends on the weather, if it gets cold and we no longer have sun, strawberries will stay, but if it’s so hot, it won’t last long, it can be 10 days. Our strawberries are bought very well, people come many times. This year, according to our capacities, the harvest is even too high ”, he comments on the season.

Prices are lower than last year.

According to Vidas Juodsnukis, a farmer in Kazlų Rūda, the yield is much higher than last year because there were no frosts. According to him, the drought lasted from March 12 to May 12, but irrigation systems were installed on the farm, so the yield did not decrease.

“The cold May nights and cold days have made the berries a bit more acidic this year.” Many have noticed this, but much here also depends on the species. There are some that are sweet enough even in such conditions.

Prices are stably low, lower than last year. This may be due to the influence of the virus, people’s incomes have decreased slightly. We can write the prices as we want, but the user says the last word in this place. The first prices for strawberry in greenhouses were very high, perhaps even too high. And then prices have leveled off last year, now they’re even slightly lower. Beautiful and large strawberries cost 3-4 euros per kilogram, depending on their quality. At the end of the season, prices remained the same, but as the supply of strawberries drops sharply, it goes without saying that prices will start to rise. It is not possible to raise the price much, up to a maximum of 6 euros ”, explains the price change.

The season is almost over

According to the interlocutor, the season is almost over, the late berries are harvested on the farm and after a couple of weeks the Lithuanian strawberries will finish. According to him, it remains to wait for other seasonal berries, such as blueberries or raspberries. V. Juodsnukis assures that this year the berry season was shorter in almost 2 weeks.

“The berries started later because of the cold weather, when the heat came with rains, the berries started to ripen very quickly. Customers are willing to buy them, we allow them to choose when they hit the ground. People are very happy, they leave the crowd, we don’t have to turn our heads to look for collectors or take them for sale. We approximate prices so that they are not profitable. 1 liter of strawberries costs 1.20 euros, so a 10-liter bucket will cost only 12 euros. The price satisfies people, they prove it themselves, they stay in nature. Fresh strawberries are of great value to buyers, “he is happy.