Ajvarka reached the markets, the processors started to buy it

peppers
Red peppers - ajvarki/Photo: Unsplash

We already have an increase in the prices of canned products by 30 to 40 percent, and I expect that for the new winter season the prices will be the same as those that have already been increased, says Viktor Petkov, president of the Canning Industry Group

The red pepper ajvarka can already be seen in the green markets, but also in the markets. At Skopje's Green Market, its price is MKD 60 per kilogram, while in stores you can see prices that are 50 percent higher. Now is the time when red tomatoes grow in large quantities, so their price has decreased significantly and they can be bought for 35 to 40 denars per kilogram, green pepper in the cheaper markets is also 35 denars per kilogram, and at that price they also sell cucumbers.

Processors from the canning industry say that they are already buying the ajvarka and tomatoes, but according to their calculations, the current winter harvest will be 30 to 40 percent more expensive. The president of the Canning Industry Group, Viktor Petkov, who is also the owner of the Gevgelija company "Wipro", says that the price of the winter clothing sold in the markets, which is from last season, has already been increased by that percentage.

"We already have an increase in the prices of canned products by 30 to 40 percent, and I expect that for the new winter season the prices will be the same as those that have already been increased. Although the current winter houses were made with the old costs, we had to increase the price in order to be able to cover the costs of the new winter houses, Petkov explained to "Sloboden Pechat".

Buyers are now buying the red pepper ajvarka at a price of 18 to 30 denars per kilogram, and tomatoes at a price of 8 to 12 denars. The prices of vegetables have actually not changed compared to last year, but what is becoming extremely expensive now is electricity, gas, packaging...

"The share of the raw material in the price is only 15 percent. Everything else is much more expensive. Last year, electricity cost us 7 denars per kilowatt-hour, now it costs us 24 denars. The price of cooking oil has increased by more than 100 percent, of jars and lids by 100 percent, of labor by 50 percent," says Petkov.

He adds that the production from canning industry factories on an annual level is about 80 million euros, but they could expand and produce much more, if they are allowed to import.

"We could make an annual production of 300 million euros if they let us make imports." Now there are some possibilities - import for export, but the procedure is very complicated. The reason why it is not relaxed is to protect domestic production. Although there is some logic in that, however, this can be looked at differently. If we develop, domestic agriculture will also develop. If we look at things that way, we better be able to do imports. Of course, that would not mean neglecting the domestic redemption. But if we want to break into the big markets where there is a lot of pressure from the production companies of Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia, we need to have reliable quantities and good quality", concludes Petkov.

Of course, you can make ajvar and other canned products for the winter yourself. But even in the domestic production process, we will face more expensive cooking oil, salt, sugar, even electricity or wood, depending on who prepares the winter house and how.

Peppers will be missing

What worries processors now is that they will not find enough raw material for the production process.

"In principle, Ajvarka pepper is a raw material that we have continuously. But this year we will have a 20 percent lower production, and maybe more. Over the years, we producers are getting bigger and bigger, and on the other hand, there is no interest in agriculture among young people. So we have a gap," says Petkov.

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