LETTUCE (LACTUCA SATIVA L.) - THE NEGLECTED VEGETABLE IN THE MACEDONIAN PRODUCTION AND TRADE

Abstract

Although vegetable production plays a significant role with over 30% of the total crop production output in the Republic of North Macedonia, only a couple of vegetables are treated with due diligence: tomato, pepper (most of it intended for processing), cucumber, and cabbage. Fifteen other vegetables can be found in different data sources, but lettuce is not among them. The only source about the cultivation area and quantity of production is the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Water Economy, but this information defers largely from the one that can be obtained from FAOstat. In both cases, the values are negligible low, i.e., below 20 ha in total. In this paper, we have tried to present the realistic status and trends of lettuce import, export, and consumption over ten years and deduct from there the volume and the origin of lettuce production. The results indicate that over 80% percent of the lettuce that is sold on the markets comes from uncertain cultivation practices, especially concerning food safety standards. Considering that lettuce has a tendency to accumulate nitrates, along with microbiological threats, it makes the whole picture even more complex. We propose some soil-less cultivation methods that can be easily adopted by the growers and result in more efficient and safe production.