The agricultural company Farmarket has positioned itself as the largest blueberry producer in the Czech Republic. At the height of the season, this company can harvest up to 2.5 tons of blueberries a day on an area of 25 hectares planted with 105,000 bushes.
The company has opted for varietal diversification, and the six different varieties it cultivates allow its production to last longer throughout the year, as each type matures in a different month.
Farmarket's blueberry plants are still young, as they are two years old, and currently, they only yield 1.5 kilos a year. When they reach the age of five they should produce 5 kilos per year, according to Jakub Láčik, the head of this production.
Last year, when purchased directly from the company, the price of blueberries stood at 4.4 euro per half a kilo. In this regard, the stores were more affected, as they compete more directly with the prices of the blueberry from Poland, the country that produces the most blueberries in Europe.
However, the advantage of Farmarket's blueberries in the Czech market is that they can be obtained fresher, as they are usually transported to stores two days after being harvested.
Currently, 45 people are working on the plantation. However, Láčik stated, they usually need 60 workers to conduct the work. He also said that Ukrainians were the best workers in the sector, but that they have had problems to hire them this year because of the coronavirus.
Source: espanol.radio.cz
