According to Guntars Dzērve, an agronomist at the enterprise "Augusta zemenes," the strawberry season on most farms in Latvia might conclude by the last week of July. Speaking to the LETA agency, Dzērve noted that while some farms are currently harvesting late strawberry varieties, the season has already ended for many farms as of a week ago. He predicts that by approximately July 20-25, around 95-98% of the strawberry harvest in Latvia will be complete.
Dzērve explained that the harvest of early strawberry varieties finished in the first week of June, as strawberries grown in greenhouses and tunnels have been picked since mid-May. Mid-season varieties were harvested shortly after the summer solstice, and currently, the focus is on later varieties. The second harvest in greenhouses began this week.
Agronomist emphasized that this year, the strawberry growing processes have been running about three weeks earlier than usual. He also pointed out that one of the challenges for strawberry producers is adapting to periods of intense heat, which accelerates the growth of the berries. This means that farms without adapted irrigation systems may have experienced significantly lower yields this year, while those that have addressed irrigation and water supply issues have had a reasonably satisfactory season.
Dzērve also mentioned that this year, there has been a relatively high intensity of imported strawberries—Greek, Spanish, and Polish—sold in Latvia.
The price level for strawberries has been relatively low, despite the increase in the value-added tax (VAT) rate for typical fruits and vegetables in Latvia, which was raised from 5% to 12%.
Source: mixnews.lv