Every Saturday, Stepan Jurinec travels a total of 300 kilometers to sell his goods at a market on the outskirts of the Croatian capital Zagreb. There, he offers potatoes and cereals that he produces himself - from the farm he runs in northern Croatia with his brother. They have been selling their produce this way for 30 years.
Despite their tireless work, the two farmers are unable to compete with imported products in a market dominated by large supermarket chains and numerous resellers. Thus, local producers are forced to sell their products more and more cheaply, which threatens their livelihood.
Imports from abroad threaten local producers
“Imports from Spain, imports from Italy and Portugal, baby potatoes from Egypt and Cyprus – everything is imported from abroad. I can no longer sell my goods because they offer me a price that does not cover the costs at all“, Stepan tells DW.
Although production costs are increasing, including for seeds, fertilizers and fuel, the prices paid to producers remain low. That is why the two farmers are unwilling to sell to supermarkets and resellers at such low prices. Apart from that, the market is fragmented and disorganized, importers have a strong lobby, and the state seems to have forgotten small farmers.
Stepan is outraged that small farmers were not invited to the meeting where prices were agreed between consumers and potato importers. “They set very low prices, for example, 5 kilograms of potatoes for 4 euros - that's 0.80 euros per kilogram. They force me to sell one kilogram of potatoes on the market for 0.50 euros. And I sell 30 kg wholesale for 10 euros. These are the prices“, says the disillusioned producer.
Chains dictate prices
While supermarkets and resellers dictate prices on the market, local producers struggle to survive, and consumers - to cope. At the same time, the cost of living is increasing: annual inflation in Croatia is 5%, and the average gross salary in the country (around 1,300 euros) is among the lowest in the EU. And that's not enough: Eurostat data on 2,000 food and services show that food costs in Croatia are up to 20% higher than the European average.
“I'm disgusted, but we have to live somehow. Prices have really gone up by 100%“, one of the market buyers told DW. Another says that prices started to rise during the Covid pandemic, when the euro had not yet been introduced. And then the prices went crazy and today you can't buy almost anything with 100 euros, he says.
Boycott actions
That's how the "Hey, Inspector" initiative came about - to boycott retail chains. The first of these took place on January 24 and was supported by many people across the country. Josip Kelemen from the "Hey, Inspector" association told DW:
“We found that the same retail chain - for example a German one - sells the same product in Croatia 190% more expensive. Our salaries were increased by less than 10%, and prices increased by 60 to 100%. This is in complete contradiction to what they tell us, namely that we live well. No, we don't live well! And consumers are already struggling to cover their daily and monthly expenses.“
The boycott is being coordinated on social media, and the initiative has since spread to other countries in the region - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovakia and Slovenia. In Bulgaria, the first such protest is scheduled for February 13 - a day to boycott retail chains.
Will the protest initiative encourage consumers in Croatia to buy local products, thus helping farmers like Stepan regain their positions in the market? That remains to be seen. But for now, consumers seem determined to do everything possible to make their voices heard.