A kilogram of fresh domestic Estonian strawberries cost EUR 15 at Tallinn’s Central Market on June 13, over seven times more than the June 2021 average of EUR 2.12 per kilogram.
It’s mid-June already, but it still isn’t easy to find domestic strawberries. Just one counter at Tallinn’s Central Market was selling Asia variety strawberries, and at a price of EUR 15 per kilo. These berries, grown under a cover, came from Latte Farm in Tartu County, which sold its produce primarily to Tallinn and Tartu.
Latte Farm CEO Viljar Varrik said that they began harvesting two days ago, and that their yield was increasing daily.
“We wouldn’t be seeing such a deficit of local strawberries if more growers would take the trouble to grow their berries under covers,” Varrik said.
Kart Karhunen of Tartu County’s Lemmatu Berry Farm said that their berry harvest had even been doing relatively well. While some strawberry blossoms fell prey to a cool spring and berries were late to ripen, they began harvesting berries of the early Flair variety on May 20.
Lemmatu Berry Farm is currently selling their early strawberries on site at the farm for EUR 10 per kg; last week, they cost EUR 14.
According to Karhunen, they increase their prices in accordance with inflation; the weather isn’t that influential of a factor. At the same time, strawberries are a seasonal good, and thus difficult to forecast. If the weather is favorable and there are a lot of berries, the price drops as well.
Other domestic Estonian produce has gotten more expensive as well. As of the last week of May, potatoes cost EUR 0.36 per kilogram, and long cucumbers run EUR 1.99 per kg. A year earlier, they cost EUR 0.17 and EUR 1.95 per kg, respectively.
Over the past weekend, new domestic Estonian potatoes cost EUR 6.50-12 per kilogram at markets in Tallinn.
Just one seller at Tallinn’s Baltic Station Market (Balti jaama turg) was offering domestic short cucumbers on June 13, at a cost of EUR 5.99 per kg.
“The further along into summer, the more the price of cucumbers will fall, but strawberries sure aren’t ripe yet,” the seller said.
No domestic cucumbers were on offer at the Central Market.
Raivo Kulasepp, CEO of Grune Fee Eesti, Estonia’s biggest cucumber producer, said that the energy crisis was the source of problems.
“Consumers’ wallets have grown, our inputs have increased by 60-80%,” he said.
But Estonia is not alone in its suffering.
“Other countries are having the same issues, they have excess production and that is sold here to Estonia,” Kulasepp explained.
Grune Fee does not yet have specific energy crisis plans in place, as the current situation is new and unpredictable. Thus, their action plan is being drawn up as they go.
“Ultimately, it will be the consumer who dictates the market situation,” Kulasepp said. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
