When milk purchase prices from farmers fall, the question arises, why don’t the prices in stores also fall – well, at least at the pre-inflation level? Why is there manipulation of milk imported from milk processing plants of other countries, which is offered cheaper and in some places the prices have also decreased a little? It is quite difficult for a raw material manufacturer to accept this, who clearly knows how many different types of products come out of a kilogram of milk with a certain fat and protein content. Of course, the solution is not so simple, because as we know, we consume only a small part of the milk we produce. The rest of the milk or milk products should be sold in other countries at a good price. And here are the keys to success or failure.
Minister of Agriculture Didzis Šmits sees promoting the development of small shops as one of the possibilities for mitigating the milk crisis. And really, it’s nice to stop by a small shop and buy the necessary product in a few minutes, without spending at least half an hour, as it usually happens in a supermarket. In addition, the supermarket seems to take care of the customers’ convenience, but in fact it is not like that at all: from time to time the products on the shelves are rearranged: rush to the usual shelf and see that, for example, there are sweets instead of flour… Then start looking, where now there is flour… Of course, merchants hope that you will see something else during the search process and buy it too… However, the minister’s idea of changing the working hours and closing supermarkets on Sundays could also cause many inconveniences. I think that people in our country are not rich enough to be able to afford to buy food in small, somewhat exclusive shops in cities. For many people, among them not the wealthiest part of the population, the working days are busy with work, taking care of welcoming the younger school children at home, taking the kindergarteners out of the group on time, getting home in time to prepare for a new working day… Shopping for the whole week has to be postponed, whether you like it or not, until the holidays… Knowing that the working hours of the supermarket are shortened on Saturdays, longer queues at the cash registers are also expected. I have also been on tourist trips, and I must say from experience that it has always been the case that, in order to buy a bottle of mineral water or a packet of sweets for the hosts, the opportunities have been directly in supermarkets…
Perhaps some state or European Union support could be planned specifically for small shops? Why couldn’t factories have their own shops, where you could buy everything the company produces in one place, and the product would be fresher and cheaper? This could also contribute to the reduction of packaging and a greener lifestyle. Perhaps you should think about supporting small shops in rural villages, where you could buy the goods you need for everyday life? We should also think about how to prevent excessive bureaucracy if a milk producer wants to sell butter, curd, milk without intermediaries, directly to the consumer. Recently, the opening of a small village store on the Selia side was shown on TV almost as a big and happy event. And the locals were really grateful that there were enterprising people who, despite the risk, still opened a shop on the outskirts. It should be ensured at the national level that the suburbs develop and maintain to some extent and provide at least the minimum amenities to the residents there.
As for the markets, they are already quite popular. Visiting the Saturday market has become a ritual for many in Tukuma. The Christmas market in the ice rink, organized by the Center for Agricultural Consultation and Education, was also a success. Also On March 4, again in the ice hall on Gardeners’ Day the market will be waiting for visitors. A nice market has been established in Engure, Ragaciem, Jaunpilis, where they were also facilitated by the municipalities of the time…
However, all of the above will not solve the crisis. At least at the level of the ministries, it would be worthwhile to pay attention to store-bought dairy and meat products, bread. Recently, Jānis Šolks, chairman of the Latvian Central Association of Dairy Farming, as well as Henriks Danusēvičs, chairman of the Association of Latvian Traders, publicly stated that the increase in dairy products is a business secret. This alone shows that there are not quite honest games, because these few goods are already only a small part of the offer. Maybe Minister Didzis Šmits could come to his senses and propose to put a ceiling on the consumption of basic food products? So in several other countries, including Germany?
Currently, we should also address the issue of support for milk producers, develop a strategy for how and how much we will produce and export milk in the future. In Latvia, large funds have been invested in the modernization of farms. Will it be the same with them as it was with sugar production? Cows can also be sold (It turns out that in Poland farmers buy cows, so dairy farming is profitable there?) or liquidate quickly, but this is not a resource that can be recovered in a short time, not to mention the experiences of farm owners and the desire to start production again. And finally, we have been members of the European Union (EU) for 20 years, so why are we so far behind the EU average purchase price of milk? What are we doing wrong?