Too cheap raspberries? Polish producers have enough!
Growers and producers of seasonal fruit believe that raspberries are too cheap. This is primarily due to purchase prices, which they compare to rates from 20 years ago.
Growers and farmers who are involved in fruit cultivation indicate that raspberries are too cheap in purchases.
The situation is bizarre for farmers and entrepreneurs, as purchase prices are at the level of rates from 20 years ago.
Growers intend to block local processing plants, but they also demand intervention from the Ministry of Agriculture. During the peak season, some producers threaten that if the prices for fruit in purchases do not increase, they will block local processing plants for over a month.
According to growers, raspberry prices have not increased in 20 years, meanwhile production costs, energy costs and fertilizer prices have gone up significantly. Additionally, this year's season was exceptionally difficult for fruit producers: frosts and drought have severely decimated crops.
"Only one in 30 plantations is quite good and the harvest will last 2-3 weeks there, and on the rest there will be 3-4 days of picking and then the fruit is gone. So the explanation that PLN 5 is the starting price, which will increase, does not make sense. Before it increases, we will run out of fruit on the bushes," said Krzysztof Chmiel, a raspberry grower from the Lublin Raspberry Producers Association, whose words are quoted by "Tygodnik Rolniczy".
"We appeal to farmers not to give their goods to collection points or processing plants, which do not provide the daily price. The price should be known in the morning. Unfortunately, it turns out that farmers give goods away without knowing their price. This is an illegal move by processing plants and collection points, which want to make a buck at our expense."
Local and national level
"The problem lies at both the local and national level. The government has not introduced any regulations that would limit the inflow of goods from Ukraine. A year ago, 50 thousand people came to Poland. tons of raspberries from Ukraine, which flooded the Polish market - claims the initiator of the protest.
Growers are also demanding intervention from the government. There are many indications that blocking local processing plants will not end there. Producers want to organize a demonstration in front of the building of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Warsaw "The Minister of Agriculture should deal with this as soon as possible" - believes the grower.
Not only cheap raspberries. Strawberry producers protested earlier
Not only farmers growing raspberries have to protest. In May, strawberry producers took to the streets, who were also fed up with low prices at purchases. Strawberry producers claim that this year is "exceptionally difficult" due to unfavorable weather.
According to their estimates, in some places in Poland 80-90% have been destroyed. In addition - according to farmers - there is a shortage of workers, and farms have to cope with a flood of fruit from other countries.
Source: Business Insider / Tygodnik Rolniczy / Bankier.pl / Wp.pl