Seasonal fruits turn into delicacies
The traditional summer dream of Russians — to eat berries for a couple of seasons ahead — is becoming more and more difficult to realize every year. Strawberries and cherries, not to mention the more hard-to-find blackberries, blueberries, mulberries or honeysuckle that have suddenly become a food trend, don't come cheap. Prices for a kilogram of strawberries start from 500–600 rubles (and for this money they will not be the most attractive), and for cherries they can ask for 1100–1200 rubles per kilo.
Sales of berries are gradually taking over the whole of Moscow — a scattering of beautiful reds of different shades can be seen on supermarket shelves and in underground passages, in special tents and in large markets, at weekend fairs and in delivery services… Strawberries, cherries, blueberries or blackberries — for every taste. But, alas, not for every budget.
The berries from special “strawberry” stalls installed near metro stations are recognized as the most affordable — they are sold for 580 rubles per kilo. Large delivery services maintain approximately the same price level — although there, of course, you cannot be sure in advance about the quality and even the appearance of the berries.
At a popular market in the south-west of Moscow, selected — berry after berry — and sweet strawberries are sold for 700 rubles per kilogram. The merchant passionately assures that the berry is worth it.
“This is Adygea, the strawberries are already well ripened there,” she explains. “It’s colder in Kuban, it will be watery from there.”
“Take it, you won’t regret it,” confidentially advises one of the customers waiting in line. — Here, at Maya’s, it’s always expensive, but guaranteed to be delicious. Even tomatoes, even tangerines, even berries.
For those who are still not ready to pay 700 rubles per kilo of strawberries, there are alternatives — for example, Krasnodar for 600 rubles.
Cherries turned out to be even more expensive in early June. True, there is an explanation: she is a foreigner, she is an Intourist.
“Uzbekistan,” the seller of the small Vegetables and Fruits store on Presnya readily admits. — These cherries cost 800 rubles, but this one costs 1100, they are sweeter.
Weekend fairs and markets offer cherries for an average of 900 rubles per kilo, but in supermarkets and deliveries you can find them cheaper — at 650–700 rubles. True, it will taste worse.
Of course, we must not forget: the very beginning of June is still not the season for Moscow and strawberries. She shouldn't be here yet. And not only in the Moscow region, even in the black earth regions — in the Oryol, Lipetsk or Tambov regions — strawberries will ripen only by the end of the month. In the meantime, we have to take into account logistics costs.
“It seems to me that the problem is overblown,” notes food logistics and retail expert Ivan Kuznetsov. — Let's start with the fact that seasonal berries are not a product of daily consumption, they are a delicacy (dessert) that has always been expensive. At the same time, they simply won’t buy berries that are too expensive, and given the short shelf life, their price will either decrease or they simply won’t be supplied. In addition, there are a lot of suppliers who want to occupy the niche of fruits and berries. So the exit of some suppliers from the market is a window of opportunity for others.
According to Kuznetsov, the supply of strawberries, even in the event of a crop failure in a number of regions, can be provided by our friendly Belarus, as well as the Russian regions themselves — the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea, which are increasing berry production year after year. As for cherries, just now a large domestic supplier region is entering the market — the Melitopol district of the Zaporozhye region, which now has the largest “reserves” of cherries in the country and where the harvest is just underway.
In addition to strawberries and cherries, there are berries that have always been considered summer delicacies and cost accordingly. For example, mulberry lovers will have to pay an average of 2,500 rubles per kilo; blackberries grown in Crimea will cost about the same. Blueberries have been popular for a couple of years now — they are considered a real superfood that can satisfy the daily need for vitamin C and other useful substances, and now a kilogram costs about 1,700–1,800 rubles. This year, honeysuckle suddenly appeared at the peak of gastronomic fashion — small sour berries, well known to those who spent summers in the villages as children. In a Moscow supermarket, a small 100-gram box today costs about 200 rubles, which means the bill per kilo will run into thousands. However, summer has just begun — and prices may still change.
“To be honest, I don’t understand at all why prices for cherries should become sky-high,” sums up expert Kuznetsov. “However, suppliers such as Uzbekistan will certainly benefit from this; it is clear that it would be a sin not to take advantage of the price increase.” About apples, we can say that we will feel a crop failure (if we feel it) only in winter.