Growers are happy that after two years of sub-par harvests, this year conditions were in their favor, resulting in plenty of fruit.
However, current tax policy, a lack of suitable labor in many places and the large markups added by retailers still place penty of strains upon farmers, said Latvian Radio.
"At the moment, the last days of sorting are going on – we are separating the good cranberries from rotten, damaged, frost-bitten soft ones that are still suitable for juice production or winemaking," says Irēna Riežniece. She runs the company "Purva dzervenīte", (Swamp cranberry) which has been growing large cranberries for more than 20 years in pre-developed peat fields on an area of around 15 hectares in the Nida bog, Rucava parish in the very south-western corner of Latvia.
"Beautiful, hard cranberry berries packed in boxes go to Poland. 99.9% end up in Poland," says Riežniece.
When asked if her company is a large participant in the list of Latvian cranberry growers and processors, Riežniece answers that, based on the area, it can be said that it is.
"We are close to the top five. But the harvest is like any year: how the fields are cared for, how they are fertilized, how they are planted beforehand, how many are in flat fields, because during the harvesting process, if the harvester drives over uneven areas, a lot remains on the ground. Then it is a pity after harvesting to go and see that a couple more tons of cranberries could have been collected," she says.
However, Riežniece admits that despite all this, compared to the problematic harvests of the previous couple of years, there were a lot of berries this year: 10-15 tons per hectare, depending on the field and varieties. And this is close to the maximum yield possible.
"This year, it can be said, has been a smooth and also a long season. The work process has been quite good – there were enough employees who wanted to work in harvesting or sorting. The pay per hour or per kilogram was also higher, maybe that's why more applied. There are long-term employees, who have been coming for 20 years or more. So I mostly evaluate the season positively," says Riežniece.
A similarly positive note comes from Gundega Sauškina, a member of the board of the Fruit Growers' Association, head of the non-governmental organization of the cranberry industry and Latvia's largest cranberry grower, who farms about 40 hectares with the company "Very Berry" in Vidzeme.
"I think [the season] has ended very well... Compared to the previous two years, the harvests were very good. Everything in our company has been sold, I think the others have too, and now it remains just processing what's left into juice," says Sauškina.
She says that most of the berries are exported by those who do not have the capacity for large-scale processing. Her company "Very Berry" sells all its berries within Latvia, both fresh, because they have contracts with the largest store chains, and processed. However, after starting the conversation about the successful season and harvest approaching record levels, she does admit to having seen some serious downsides.
"I have always been a patriot and defended everyone, but this year there was one moment when my hands really went down. The biggest problem is the lack of labor, because the fields remain empty, and if we do not solve anything, there will be nothing left.
"Alcoholism is a very big problem in Latvia. It was possible to lower the value-added tax on fruits, berries and vegetables, but compensate for the drop in revenue with an increased excise tax on alcohol. This would perhaps somehow influence the fact that people would drink less. It is a huge problem in the countryside," says Sauškina.
The cranberry grower says that she still manages to hire women for less physically-demanding jobs, but finding young, strong men who do not drink large amounts of alcohol is practically impossible. She concludes that our risk is empty farms and a clean environment, but an aging nation that will have no one to pay for pensions.
"The employers' confederation has said that our economy needs 28,000 workers in order to remain at its current level. Not people, but workers. On the other hand, 50,000 are needed for development. In Smiltene county, unemployment is 3%. You understand that this means , that there is no unemployment because there are no people.
"I had Cameroonians, refugees in the summer, and they were people who really wanted to work," she says, suggesting that businesses might be allowed to have a say in keeping such people in the country.
Another reason for some bitterness among growers is the relatively low prices paid by retailers when compared with the much higher prices when products reach the store shelves.
