This year, Spain, unlike a number of other EU countries, had the lowest prices for indoor vegetables. Fresh Market writes about this.
In particular, in December last year, eggplants (from 2.51 to 1.19 euros), red peppers (from 1.44 to 0.83), zucchini (from 1.35 to 0.53), long cucumbers (from 1.17 to 0.5), tomatoes (from 1.16 to 0.33) fell sharply there. An example of a country where the opposite situation is observed is Poland. Prices there remain at the level of the last decade of December, when they were already significantly higher than for the same period of 2021. Greenhouse eggplants (as before in Spain) are among the most expensive vegetables in the country. They are sold at a price of nine to 12 zlotys (2-05 – 2.73 dollars) per kilo. Cucumbers translated into American currency cost from 1.82 to 2.5, red pepper – from 1.82 to 2.27, zucchini – from 1.14-1.59 dollars per kilogram. At the same time, Poland buys them most often from the same Spain. It is not reported whether dumping from Spanish manufacturers was to blame. Most likely, the cause may be external factors.
The publication notes that the production of indoor vegetables in the EU faced huge problems back in 2021. The main reason was the energy crisis associated with the bloc’s incorrect policy towards Russia. Recall that the year before last, the countries of the Union, together with the United States, refused to buy Russian gas for rubles and called on other countries to do so. Then at one time there was a temporary strengthening of the ruble, because of which this resource rose in price several times, and in Western countries there was a shortage of it. This situation, in particular, affected the production and cost of fertilizers, as well as the prices for the maintenance of greenhouse complexes. Recall that gas is the main raw material for the production of fertilizers and providing greenhouses with energy. In Belgium, Germany and France and other countries began to stop the winter production of greenhouse vegetables due to the steep costs of lighting and heating complexes. And in Poland, local cucumbers and tomatoes disappeared from the shelves.
Experts feared that in this situation, the production of greenhouse vegetables in the EU is expected to collapse. Nevertheless, so far the South of Europe provides all the countries of the bloc with these products. However, market participants still say that if the situation does not change, many industry companies will close or liquidate. According to them, such a scenario is most likely in the north of Europe, where greenhouse maintenance costs are higher than in the south.
A source: https://rosng.ru
