Prespa growers refuse to harvest as buyers pay 4 denars per kilogram
Growers say 4 denars for industrial apples doesn't cover picking costs; reduced yield and unpaid 2024 subsidies add pressure.
Apple growers in the Prespa region have largely halted harvesting after buyers offered only 4 denars per kilogram for industrial-grade fruit, a price producers say does not cover the cost of picking.
Growers calculate that to pay a single day labourer they must sell roughly 750 kilograms of apples; at the same time, a worker now demands about 50 euros per day. "The price for industrial apples is 4 denars, and one worker asks for 50 euros. With the apples we gather we cannot pay the workers. No one hands over apples. The price for table apples is low too, 15 denars. Last year industrial apples were bought for 10-11 denars, and table apples 25-30 denars. This year the price is catastrophic," says Kire Karapalevski, a fruit grower from Prespa.
Reduced crop and unpaid subsidies add pressure
Producers say this season's yield is sharply lower: late spring frosts destroyed parts of the orchards, and subsequent hail and heavy rains further damaged trees. The expected total crop is now only about 50,000–60,000 tonnes.
On top of the low prices and smaller harvest, farmers say outstanding government payments for the 2024 apple subsidy per kilogram remain unpaid, increasing the financial strain. "The opening price of 4 denars does not meet the expectations of producers; we need state support if the price remains at this level," says Ljube Pampuevski, a fruit grower.
At the official opening of the harvest the agriculture minister, Borche Serafimovski, said that placing Prespa apples on the market is a shared responsibility and promised stronger security for growers through contract purchase, clear rules and timely payments. But growers report that contract buying has not started and that industrial apples are still being offered at just 4 denars per kilogram.
Producers staged a visible warning by refusing to deliver fruit to buyers. "They came for the harvest, held it, took pictures, said nothing. All fruit growers were waiting for them to say something about those two denars of subsidy per kilogram of apples. I don't know how this harvest will be sustained without paid subsidies," Karapalevski adds.
Photo: press material from the event
