August the 4th, 2023 – Shopping for fresh produce on Croatia’s many markets was a pleasure like no other for a huge number of people, but much like everything else – Croatian market prices are sky high compared to previous years.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, inflation is also having an effect (and a significant one, at that) on Croatian market prices. Croatian market prices are rising, but sellers claim that this increase is expected and realistic considering the recent freak storms and other weather events that have hit Croatia. An HRT team visited the most famous market in Zagreb (Dolac), and asked sellers and buyers what they thought about the price increases.
Is the price justified by high quality produce?
Passing through the stands of Zagreb’s much loved Dolac market in the centre of the city, the prices all seem to go up from stall to stall, but the sellers believe that considering the quality, their price increases are justified.
“People complain that the prices are high, but these prices are the same as the prices in store, only the goods here are twice as good. That goes without even mentioning the fact that what we’re selling here is local. Generally people have stopped appreciating that,” says one of the saleswomen when asked about Croatian market prices.
“For some people, yes, it is expensive, for some it isn’t, some are satisfied with what they pay and what they get. Our customers don’t complain, whoever finds it expensive looks elsewhere,” said another Dolac seller.
adverse Weather events have played a role
The rise in Croatian market prices is also a consequence of numerous weather problems that have affected Croatia in the last few weeks.
“Our crops were damaged, and now we’ve had these winds, we’ve had hail… it is inevitable that we’ve had to raise our prices. The hail damaged our salads, our greenhouses and planters, our chard… everything!” stated another market saleswoman at Dolac.
Seasonal vegetables and fruits are what sell best, while salads, beans and green beans all also sell well. However, buyers on Dolac are far from enthusiastic about the current Croatian market prices, and there’s now a chance that Dolac market could become significantly more empty as time goes on and prices continue to go up.
