Lithuanian strawberries – not for everyone’s wallet

Farmer Vytenis Bulauka and his wife have been growing strawberries for ten years. In so many seasons, one of the seasons understood: strawberry harvest – like a lottery. The sun wins one year and the next is frost.

« The greenhouse is not heated, so when the temperature drops, not only the fields but also the greenhouse need to be stored. This year is a year of frost, » said V. Bulauka, head of Žvagakalnis farm.

Sudden changes in temperature do not like strawberries, so the first of the greenhouse were almost gold value.

« We sold the very first € 13 to € 14 per kilogram, » the man shared.

LNK stop shot.

Now V. Bulauka’s strawberries cost between € 10-11 and cheaper can no longer be. It takes a lot of investment to grow a sweet berry.

« It costs € 25,000 per season to be planted for one season: sprouts, land, work and everything else.

Although farmers talk about the difficult start of the season without embellishments, traders say that the price of strawberries did not change compared to last year.

« The price of strawberries is similar if we look at the first harvest price as last year, » said Gintare Kitė, the communications manager at IKI.

But a small packaging can also be greatly misleading if buyers do not look at the price of a kilogram. And in stores, they range from 9 to as much as 20 euros.

Strawberries are not yet lost, although this year it appeared well before the usual.

« This year, the first harvest of Lithuanian strawberries was even a week earlier than last year. We usually get in early May, and this year we had the last week of April, » said Kitė.

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Farmer Vytenis controls half a hectare of greenhouses and 3 hectares of strawberry fields. It promises that after a week the strawberries will begin to ripen in beds as well. But the next price of berries is still difficult to predict.

Increased strawberries – from Greece or Spain – cost significantly less: often 4-6 euros per kilogram. However, both farmers and traders recognize – these are two different products.

« Lithuanian strawberries are not available throughout the year, this is a key exclusivity, » said Maxima spokesman Titas Writevich.

The farmer urges the berry and the merchant to check three times, as there are also beautiful berry games in the markets.

« Berries are named Lithuanian. Lithuanian is really tastier, but the briefings are also more pesticides, » said the head of Žvagakalnis farm.

In the strawberry season in greenhouses, some farmers are just halfway through, while others are over.