At Paide Maksimarket, the largest supermarket in Järva County, shoppers in the produce aisle will find apples from Poland and Italy — but none from Estonia.

"We don't have domestic apples in our selection," store manager Eve Kuldre admitted. The last domestic batch arrived in the store in December, as part of a promotional deal.

Price, she said, is the deciding factor. If organic Estonian apples cost €4.99 per kilo and the Polish apples sitting next to them at 99 cents, "the 99-cent ones would win."

Despite the competition, domestic apples are available elsewhere. Halika Apple Farm in Räpina Municipality offers a wide selection of Estonian-grown apples online, with supplies expected to last through March.

Apple grower Lauri Kasvand said weather has been the biggest driver of price swings in recent years, with only one truly strong harvest in the past five. Rainy, sun-poor summers have made growing apples difficult, meanwhile, even as packaging and labor costs have climbed.

From the shelf price consumers see, growers receive less than half. "The rest goes to taxes, transport, logistics and retailers," he explained.

No money to invest

Getting apples through the supply chain is a long process, with packaging, transport and labor costs being added at every step.

Kasvand argues that state investment in technology could ease those pressures, and ultimately bring domestic fruit and vegetable prices down.

"Horticulture is labor-intensive," he said, noting that grain producers have had an easier time mechanizing. Fruit growers, by contrast, lack the funds to modernize and boost production efficiency.

"We can't get past that barrier," Kasvand emphasized. "If we want Estonian fruit to reach store shelves, and at reasonable prices, we need to support Estonian horticulture."

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