Lithuania’s apple juice pressing season, set to begin in a few weeks, is expected to be one of the worst in recent years, with output likely to be about half of last year’s due to frost damage and persistent rain, producers say.
Some apple orchards were hit by spring frosts, and now fruit is falling onto soaked ground and rotting, pressing house operators told BNS. The poor harvest means some businesses will miss revenue targets and delay equipment purchases.
Barbora, who represented the Ouoliu Namai (Apple House) chain with pressing facilities in Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevezys and Riga, said production would be far below last year’s levels.
“Maybe we’ll manage half, or maybe not. These are lean times. There are no apples, the trees have been pruned, and nature has ruined everything. This will be one of the worst years,” she said.
Arnas Jokubauskas, who worked at a pressing facility in Klaipeda District, said fewer apples would be brought in because people would sell or give them away instead.
“When there are lots of apples, people bring lots of bags. When the crop is poor, it’s much less. This year we won’t be pressing until midnight,” he said.
Vidas Tauras, who ran a pressing house in Avizieniai, Vilnius District, said the number of customers was declining and several pressing houses close each year.
“In Kaunas, especially, they’re shutting down. You can find lots of ads selling equipment. In about 10 years, the pressing business will disappear,” he predicted.
Tauras said younger generations were less interested in collecting apples.
“I’m surprised when seniors arrive with four bags, hauling them from the car while a 16-year-old, probably their grandson, sits in the back seat staring at his phone, not helping,” he said.
Pressers do not plan to raise prices this year, except possibly by 10 to 15 cents, says Akvile Grice, owner of a facility near Panevezys. She said lower earnings this season would prevent her from investing in equipment to process juices from cucumbers, cabbages, pumpkins or other fruits.
The poor apple harvest is also hitting suppliers of juice packaging.
Laimonas Lopata, owner of Klaipeda-based Lipis, which sold Romania-made juice bags, said sales were expected to drop by half compared to last year.
“In southern Lithuania, almost everything froze. In the west, there’s a bit left on the trees. And what didn’t freeze is now rotting from the rain,” he said.
He added that pressing houses typically waited to see the apple crop before buying bags, which ranged in size from one to five litres. In a good year, a facility might order 10,000 units.
Panevezys-based PackForce Lithuania has also sold about half as many bags as in the same period last year, says manager Kevinas Pavlijus. Some facilities may still have stocks from previous years, he noted, adding: “Packaging doesn’t spoil like apples.”
Vilnius company Vitis has also seen weaker sales to individual customers. Company representative Inga Sargunaite said that frost and flooding destroyed much of this year’s fruit crop.
“We’ve heard losses of 60% to 70% for grapes, currants, cherries, blueberries,” she said. (LRT)