Cherries: Low prices led to protests
June 7, 2018 at 12:15 PM ,
Starry Night Ltd.
BULGARIA. No doubt the current harvest will be abundant. The cherry is usually smaller because of low precipitation earlier in the year, but available quantities are manifold when compared to those of last season. By the end of May 2018, farmers managed to harvest 1,797 ha out of 8,394 ha available for harvest nationwide, according to local authorities. So far, estimates of production reached 7,580 mt while the aggregate yield stood at 4.2 mt/ha. Since last year’s harvest was so weak, the current yield stands by 44% higher than that of the previous year. However, although orchards are full of cherries, farmers are dissatisfied with current prices.
Cherries: Every coin has two faces
Farmers throughout the country led protests, blocking roads and throwing part of their produce, infuriated about the current low prices. The smaller cherries seem not to be so attractive to intermediary market players who look for well-formed and bigger fruits. Cherries are traded for between 0.30 – 0.35 EUR/kg EXW farmers’ orchards while, according to local farmers wages for harvesters of the fruits range between 0.18 – 0.22 EUR/kg. Owners of larger orchards threaten to let cherries on trees if prices continue to be so low. However, it seems to be not so much the larger supply this year as it is the smaller fruit that causes prices to be lower.
Disregarding the pulse of the market, some farmers seek compensation from the Ministry of Agriculture. However, according to the latter, farmers, who have followed all necessary agricultural and regulatory procedures, receive subsidies, which could well reach to approximately 1,400 EUR/ha.
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