Cheaper and tastier than in the store: what attracts the townspeople of the agricultural fair to the street Me. Luchin

A seasonal trading platform in the residential area of Loshitsa offers Minsk residents a fresh harvest directly from farmers and private organizations from all over the country. What is sold at the fair, and why the shelves line up, the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti” learned.

At the entrance, visitors meet a counter with a vitamin set. You can buy dried apples, rosehip, hawthorn and black ash, which are taken for tea and compotes. Nearby, fresh apples are also flaunted, which give 2.5 BYN regardless of the variety.

- This season, the harvest turned out to be rich, so I decided to participate in the fair trade. The tray presents what he grew himself: apples of varieties "Antonovka", "koshtel", ranets, Vladimir, who came from Dzerzhinsky district, shared. In addition to fresh fruits, I brought blanks for compotes. People come in, they buy. Homemade products are cheaper and tastier than in the store. And for me, participation in such fairs is also a great increase in pension.

The fair also presents products from Olshan. From there, fresh tomatoes came to the capital, the price of which, depending on the variety, varies from 4.5 to 7 BYN, peppers for 3-4 BYN, corn for 3.5 BYN and garlic for 10 BYN. Also on the counter are cucumbers, cauliflower and Beijing cabbage, eggplant and greens. In addition to vegetable products, Minsk residents can buy autumn flowers - chrysanthemums and begonias.

- At the fair in Loshitsa brought everything that was grown with their own hands. The capital is a key market for us, said farmer Ivan. In addition to this site, we regularly trade at the Palace of Railway Workers and the Tractor Plant, and the surplus crop is exported to Russia. Buyers appreciate naturalness and affordable prices - in stores it is more expensive. And for us it is profitable, because we approach the business with love, diligence and maximum efficiency.

There is a lot of demand and a variety of pickles. People willingly take barrel cucumbers, sauerkraut, wet garlic, mushrooms and salted tomatoes. The price ranges from 7 to 18 BYN. For example, a jar of dried tomatoes in oil will cost 10 BYN. And mushrooms can be taken for 15 BYN.

- We came from the Uzden district, Olga said. We grow everything ourselves, and children help us. Today we brought fresh vegetables and our most popular product - homemade pickles and fermentation. It is for the blanks that people come most often. On weekends, we try to go to a larger fair at Chizhovka Arena. Work is very hard, but thanks to family support we cope, and this gives an opportunity to earn.

The fair is conveniently located at the Yankee Lucina public transport stop. Thanks to the good place, it is crowded. Especially in the evening, when residents of the area return home and linger at the shopping aisles to buy fresh farm produce. To please citizens with a rich harvest, the trading platform will be daily until November 15.

- I like to come here and take vegetables, said Igor, a resident of Loshitsa. - Last time the guys from Olshan took peppers, garlic and groceries. The latter made a very tasty caviar. There are good prices and nice merchants who, which is very important to me, do not try to mix low-quality products with good ones. In addition, they will always help determine the choice and can make concessions. This is not my first year and I will continue to do so.

Photo by Diana Shabala