The summer heat burned domestic agricultural production, so the August price barometer is "stuck" in the red. The offer of fruits and vegetables in the green markets and markets is scarce, and the producers justify that it is almost impossible to pick a tomato without a yellow line, while the green pepper turns red with shame as it burns under the sun.

That is why it is not surprising that even in August the tomato does not go below 80 denars per kilogram, while those lucky enough to have fertile fields proudly ask for over 100 denars per kilogram. These days green products hold a record price, so a kilo of green peppers reached more than 100 denars, and for the same amount of green beans they will ask you 200 denars. That's how much you'll have to pay for spinach if you find it. One salad is sold for 70 denars, while the price of a kilogram of industrial cucumber reaches 130 denars! The supply of okra is also small and it has a price of 250 denars per kilogram, celery root is sold for 70 denars, while a bunch of spring onions costs 35 denars. The first ajvarki have reached the markets and they are sold from 60 to 100 denars depending on the size. Even though the prices of fruits are somewhat lower than those of vegetables, this summer they are at the level of European prices. Peaches did not drop below 50 denars, apricots that could be found until a few days ago cost up to 80 denars, and at the moment the most expensive are raspberries, which are sold for 100 denars for a 200 gram can!

Our interlocutors agree that the prices of the fruits and vegetables that we can buy in the markets are affected by the weather conditions that this summer are such that, as they say, it is a question whether we will eat them at all. Farmers say the high temperatures have forced them to adjust their working hours, so the night turns into day in the fields to avoid the heat.

- I go to the fields after midnight. It rained all June, and since July the sun has been scorching. Salads, spinach, cucumbers were burnt. You see these yellow marks on the tomato, that's a sign that it's burnt. Citizens are angry and rightly so. Until now, they spent the summer cheaply, peppers, tomatoes, salad, now everything is expensive. We burn twice, both in the field and here in the market, and it doesn't pay anymore - claims a seller at the Green Market.

Citizens and experts say that it is sad that Macedonian farmers no longer feed the country, and every year at least 700 million euros worth of food is imported. If in 2013-2014 there were 100.000 registered farmers in the country, now that number has practically halved.

- The tomatoes and cucumbers that we used to export en masse, now come to us in large quantities from Albania and Turkey - indicate the shopkeepers.

As of November 2023, we have spent almost 886,8 million euros on the import of food and live animals, according to the data of the State Statistics Office.