"Crop loss - 40%". Tulip sellers explained why they won't lower prices
There's very little time left until March 8, and Minsk is already blooming – though for now, only in retail outlets. Journalists from Myfin walked through the flower rows to find out how much tulips cost today, how the harsh winter affected their harvest, and how to save money when buying flowers.
Journalists arrived at Komarovsky Market around 12 PM on March 5. Not only tons of flowers were pleasing, but also the spring-like warm weather, although no rush was noticed near the stalls. Sellers were just unfolding their plantations "in field conditions": some were setting out buckets of water, others were hiding delicate buds from the wind. There weren't many buyers – only a few approached the stalls during lunchtime.
"For now, they're just looking," sighed the sellers.
The cheapest tulips found in a stall near the market were selling for 2 rubles. But the average market price is higher – from 3 rubles up to 5 for tall, strong buds.
"My boiler broke, and I lost 40% of my crop"
Nina (you can find her on Instagram as @semitsvetik.by) has been growing flowers for a long time, but this year is her debut with tulips. And it immediately became a baptism of fire.
— The winter was cold, and that affected the harvest. My boiler broke, and I had to heat the greenhouse with makeshift means. Because of this, 40% of the tulips died.
— What is the cost price of one tulip?
— Now you can buy a thousand Dutch bulbs for 450 euros. One bulb would cost 0.45 euros. To that, you need to add soil fertilization, greenhouse heating, which is a bit harder to calculate, so it's difficult to state the exact cost price. My tulips cost from 4 to 5 rubles, but everything depends on the day of sale, stem size, tulip variety, etc. So I would say that the current price is still not expensive.
The answer to the question of why Belarusian bulbs are not used is simple: they simply don't exist.
"Our bulbs are not sold; the technology is such that only Dutch ones take root."
Another seller, Elena Matskevich, was not affected by the frosts, but her harvest still suffered losses. Although, according to the girl, this is a common phenomenon, and there is nothing unusual about it.
"I planted 4000 bulbs, and about 3000 came up. A thousand in waste is a normal loss; sometimes a bulb simply doesn't sprout," Elena shares.
"Lowering prices? No."
There is a perception that it is most profitable to buy flowers on the evening of March 8, when sellers, trying to get rid of remnants, lower prices. Journalists decided to test this theory.
— Will you lower prices on March 9 or on the evening of the eighth?
— Probably not, — Nina replies. — I'll reduce the price to a maximum of 3 rubles. What I don't sell, I'll rather give to acquaintances.
Irina from Dzerzhinsk, who has been involved in flowers for 10 years, is even more determined. She has 50 acres of land, and for March 8, she brought not only cut flowers but also potted plants – hyacinths, crocuses.
"Lowering prices? No. What's in pots will be sold later; they last all season. If I have leftover cut flowers, I take them to the local church in my hometown."
By the way, according to Irina, demand is split equally: half of buyers take classic tulips (for 3-5 rubles), the other half choose potted flowers (for example, a hyacinth for 15 rubles) so that the gift brings joy longer.
Life hack from farmers: how to keep tulips for two weeks
If you bought flowers in advance, on March 5-6, don't worry: they will calmly last until the holiday if you know the secret.
"Tulips are cut a week before March 8," Irina explains. "The main thing is to store them 'dry'. They lie without water in a cold place. Then you trim them, put them in water – and they will stand for another two weeks."
So you can safely buy flowers now, while there's a choice of varieties and no queues.
Prices at Komarovsky Market on March 5 around lunchtime were as follows: tulips (market/stalls) – from 2 rubles (small) to 5 rubles (tall); potted hyacinths – 15 rubles; a mimosa branch – prices start from 5 rubles, mostly 15-20 rubles.
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Пасьледьняе !!!