Dairy products are getting more and more expensive and it’s all because of the disappearing small farms in Europe. As the supply of milk decreases, its demand increases, and the prices of milk products also increase. Buyers fear that if the price of milk continues to rise, they will have to give it up. Â
Lithuanian residents who come to the store cannot believe the prices of dairy products.
“If we compare this and last autumn, we can see that some dairy products cost about 10%. more expensive. Lithuanian residents use a lot of dairy products and it is very important to them”, said IndrÄ TrakimaitÄ-Ć eĆĄkuvienÄ, a representative of Maximos.
The reason for the increased prices of dairy products is the disappearing small farms. As cow farms are decreasing in Europe, Lithuanian milk processors are exporting more and at a higher price. Therefore, they paid Lithuanian farmers more this year. Naturally, they also sold milk to stores at a higher price.
“We increased the price of milk for the chains, because our main costs, the raw material, went up by 25 percent”, – Dalius Trumpa, head of “RokiĆĄkios sĆ«ris”.
“This has been influenced by the decline in milk rennet and fat, and fat is related to milk fat, which is used to make butter.” Cow diseases also contributed,” said the Maximos representative.
It is difficult for buyers, but it is a very profitable year for farmers and processors.
“People who buy dairy products complain, and those who sell raw milk are happy about it,” said D. Trumpa.Â
Buyers felt the increase in the price of butter the most, so they sweep butter off the shelves during promotions. Â
“We really notice that if there is a favorable promotion for butter, then customers buy more than one packet. It is likely to be frozen,” said “Rimirepresentative EglÄ KrasauskienÄ.
The price analyst notices that prices are rising like wildfire also due to the decline of Lithuanian small farms. According to his calculations, after some farmers left the milk market in Lithuania due to too low milk purchase prices, at least 40 farmers did not remain. of cows. Â
“The situation in the milk market in Lithuania is tragic. On average, the amount of milk extracted here decreases by one percent each year”, – Pricer.lt manager Petras Äepkauska.
Future forecasts are not encouraging.Â
“If agriculture and animal husbandry continue like this, milk will decrease in Lithuania, and accordingly the price of Lithuanian production will increase,” said P. Äepkauskas.Â
The supplier is convinced that the ministry could stop the constant fluctuation of milk prices.
“In principle, we cannot enter into long-term contracts with farmers – the contract is concluded for a month – therefore we live with the so-called spot prices, which fluctuate very strongly”, emphasized the head of “RokiĆĄkios sĆ«ris”.
Milk product prices are rising across Europe, only Polish milk remains slightly cheaper. It is predicted that the population will start to buy more Polish pasteurized milk, which does not even need to be kept in the refrigerator. Â
“When the price difference on the shelf is two times, it is a clear choice, because their income does not grow as much as the prices grow,” emphasized the manager of Pricer.lt.Â
So far, not much Polish milk is sold. Lithuanians buy their own products, albeit at a higher price.
“We did not notice that buyers started to choose Latvian, Polish, Estonian dairy products. They still tend to choose the beloved and recognizable brands of Lithuanian manufacturers”, said the representative of Rimi.
It is predicted that the price of dairy products may increase even more from the new ones.
Author: DomantÄ SlavinskaitÄ I LNK.LT
