In the days when melon growers in the south of the country are already complaining about the low price at which they have ended up selling, a young farmer says he is not worried that he will not capitalize on his production. It sells at a good price, but it has learned from the mistakes of the past years.
The young farmer revealed how he manages to sell his products at a good price PHOTO: AM
Laurențiu Stoica is a young farmer from Obârșia, Olt county, who has been selling his products for many years in the Progresul market in Slatina municipality. These days, the star is melons, both green and yellow. The price, 4 lei/kg, is higher than in the supermarket, however the young farmer does not lack customers.
“We come for quality, for us the price matters less. Quality, yes. We have been here for 11 years. People here have known us for 11 years,” explained the farmer. Watermelon, or watermelon, as the product is known in the south of the country, costs 4 lei/kg, a good price, considering that producers already rarely sell – that’s right, in wholesale markets – for more than 1.5 lei / kg. Melon also has a good price, up to 8 lei/kg.
The young farmer says that he is rarely forced to give into the wholesale system. Following last year’s experience, he reduced the cultivated area, sizing production according to demand, and what he produces with his family he sells satisfactorily.
“We have four hectares, watermelon and cantaloupe, we have 60 ares of protected space, solar, one hectare of eggplants for autumn, plus what we produce in the off-season – potatoes, onions, green garlic… Very rarely we also sell wholesale, because we stagger them. We put a hectare, with a hectare, with a hectare… We have some that are now around half a meter”, the farmer explains how he managed to stop selling his work for nothing.
Will sell Obârsia melons even from St. Mary’s, although in recent years it is increasingly difficult to “push” the crop to mid-August due to the climate.
Buyers consume melons as early as June, because farmers produce the seedlings from February.
“We do the seedling from February. This year I went out earlier than last year, I went out on June 25th, and last year on July 1st I harvested and on the 2nd I was here”, explains the farmer how production has shifted.
“At 1 leu, it is out of existence. I don’t understand why they keep picking”
The young farmer says that for now the price he is selling at is a good one. The customers are also satisfied, because they choose their melons, just like in the supermarket.
We also discuss the price. Laurentiu says that he does not understand the farmers who ended up selling for 1 leu/kg. “At 1 leu, he is barely living, he has no way to cover his expenses. Because the foil became more expensive, the diesel became more expensive, the drip became more expensive, the treatments became more expensive. It’s soil manna, there are many diseases and many pests that affect melons, and not only melons. I don’t understand them. I also put large areas, and… Last year we had five hectares, we stayed put. This year we reduced, we put four hectares, because there was no search. The wholesale price was not satisfactory and I better leave them in place“, says the farmer.
We are also talking about the increasingly used concept, producers inviting their customers to the farm, to pick their own products and see where they come from. It doesn’t suit everyone, says Laurentiu Stoica.
“They are very few, you can’t survive with something like that, because they are 7-8%, not even 10% of the customers who come to collect them. Especially as we are. I’m from Valea Oltului, I have 100 kilometers to get here, who would come and get a watermelon from me in the watermelon?!”says the farmer.
