Are blueberries in Poland following in the footsteps of raspberries?
There are troubling developments in the highbush blueberry market from domestic cultivation in Poland. Everything indicates that this segment of the fruit market in Poland is following the same path as the dessert raspberry segment, which is a fatal route for producers, marked by very dynamic price drops. So, how low are wholesale blueberry prices in Poland already?
In our first chart, we see the quotations of domestic blueberries offered in wholesale trade on a larger scale. It is evident that the situation is dire, even though it is still early in the commercial campaign. Unfortunately, current prices for blueberries from domestic cultivation, after a series of daily declines (since June 20), are in the range of 12.00-20.00 PLN/kg, depending on size, quality, and packaging. There are even offers for sale at 10.00 PLN/kg!
Certainly, this is largely a result of the pressure exerted on Polish blueberry prices by rapidly decreasing imports. Large quantities of these fruits from beyond our borders are entering Poland. These are no longer relatively expensive blueberries from Morocco or Spain, but much cheaper fruits from the Balkans. And soon, imports from Ukraine may also appear. Currently, imported blueberry prices in wholesale trade are at 14.00-20.00 PLN/kg.
In the second chart, we see that import prices are also lower than in previous years. The same goes for Polish blueberry prices. Their prices are below the levels from all five past seasons, and there is no indication of a possible reversal of these relationships. It seems that we are in for a season of very cheap blueberries. And this is not only due to the high volume of imports but also the domestic supply of these fruits. The supply is relatively high because this year's weaker yields have been balanced by an increase in blueberry cultivation area. Perhaps when blueberry procurement for processing starts, the pressure from the current supply will decrease, and the overall quality of the fruits entering the fresh market will improve. This should have a stabilizing effect on prices.