Roxana Good – May 8, 2024 11:55 am
Low price for strawberries this year. The young Alexandru Fazekaș from Halmeu, Satu Mare county, published a video on Tik Tok in which he signaled that the money received for the harvest, the strawberry growers in Romania are determined to abandon the plantations.
“Since last year we will see you at the fiber optic in England, agriculture is no longer working. I sell beautiful strawberries for nothing, let’s get to sell at this price, for the last 20 years I think this is the hardest season for us. Nice product but that’s life in Halmeu but we have nothing to do. We have quality, quantity but price of nothing but that’s it, from next year we’ll see you in London”, was the message that immediately went viral.
Last year, Agrointelligence – AGROINTEL.RO will present a video report about the farm of the Fazekas family in Halmeu. The business covers an area of four hectares of strawberries, but the farm also grows vegetables. Compared to last year, the price situation is much more difficult, with farmers already receiving a price of only a few lei for fruit sold directly from the farm.
“We are not giving up the business, but we are discouraged and disappointed. We only work with strawberries on four hectares, because we also have other areas with various vegetables. The current price is 5-6 lei per kilogram of strawberries directly from the field, no more, no less. In a way, we are practically begging the middlemen to sell our goods so that we can establish other cultures, have money to take our investments further. Last year, for example, during the similar period, that is, at the beginning of the harvest, we received 12 lei per kilogram, practically double what it is now, and we fear that the price will go even lower as more and more fruits appear in the market. We were barely making ends meet at this price we invested because labor is very expensive, the workers want as much as possible, meaning we paid 20 lei/hour. The decrease in demand may also be due to the holidays and at the moment we cannot complain about imports because now the Romanian strawberry is on the market, not the imported one, now only Romania controls the market”, said the young producer for Agrointelligence-AGROINTEL.RO.
Last year at this time, the price of strawberries was double
Together with his father, Iosif Fazekaș, young Alex is proud of a new exceptional production of strawberries. The fruits are large, juicy, full of taste and fresh. “We were hurt and worried by the fact that even the first strawberries, which are the most beautiful, the most attractive and the tastiest, are not appreciated and have no price. We practically give them away for nothing this year. Last year at this time we were selling at 12-13 lei/kilogram and selling them like hot cakes. It’s a shame because overall this year for strawberries is a good season, but this starting price upsets us and we are disappointed because the investments are very high”, said Alex Fazekaș.
Although it is recognized as the “homeland of strawberries”, the town of Halmeu does not offer farmers an organized framework to sell their products. Growers valorize their goods individually, there is no form of organization that brings everyone’s work together to broker a contract with retail chains. “We also tried to enter supermarkets, but there are a lot of requirements and since we have a large area, it’s a bit complicated to work. It is faster to go to Hungary to Supeco than to be welcomed in Romania. But those who want to buy from us can call us and come here directly to the field. We have customers that we have been working with for 20 years, that is, people who take two tons a day. Just yesterday I gave two tons to a loyal customer. People know quality. But unfortunately the price is a joke. We are having a hard time getting the investment out, but I don’t know if we can hope for a profit. And we are on the third harvest, so practically at the beginning of the season and we will keep harvesting for about a month because we have uniform plants, not remontants because we are also on the side of vegetable cultivation”, the strawberry grower emphasized.
He added that after the post he made in the online environment, sales have increased, but the price offered is still disappointing. One of the “star” varieties from the Fazekaș family farm is Asia, which can reach a weight of 28 g/strawberry. In the online environment, the large and flat-shaped fruits were criticized by consumers, being called “mutant strawberries”, but Fazekaș Alex assured them that only compliant fruits, fertilized with manure, leave his farm. “In our farm we already have an experience of over 20 years and we had over 20 varieties on our plots, all tested. Basically, the soil in our area is very good for strawberries and it is normal for them to develop. We also put 25 tons of garbage per hectare, maybe even more, and it is normal for the fruits to be big and beautiful”, the farmer also mentioned.
Halmeu strawberries. The Fazekas family farm
