Peppers producers hit by embargo

Peppers producers are risking huge losses in revenue as 40 percent of their exports had been going to Russia and the latter has tightened an embargo against Polish fruit and vegetables, reported an IAR release. The farmers have asked the government for help. Capsicum (or the Pepper) species originate from the Western Hemisphere and have a very short shelf life, unlike apples. The healthy vegetable is rich in vitamin C and must reach the consumer within a week's time. Large amounts of peppers are currently not being sold and their price has dropped by more than 50 percent. Roman Sobczak of the Peppers' Producers Association claimed that "the closure of eastern markets is not good and selling to new markets takes a lot of time." For example, it takes about eight days to send the goods to Asia, after which the plant is not edible. The main pepper producing region in Poland is near Radom, where 400 tons of peppers are harvested daily and these amount to 85 percent of Poland's pepper production.