Blueberries - domestic supply is running out, imports are getting cheaper.

The commercial season of domestic highbush blueberries in 2024 has basically come to an end. At least when it comes to wholesale trade on a larger scale. Trade in small wholesale is still ongoing. The supply of domestic blueberries in September rapidly decreased, resulting in a rapid increase in their wholesale prices.

This trend has pushed the wholesale prices of Polish blueberries to the range of 40.00-64.00 PLN/kg, which is an absolute record for these fruits in recent years. It is worth noting that according to estimates by the Central Statistical Office (GUS), this year's harvest of highbush blueberries (also known as American blueberries) in Poland was expected to reach 62.8 thousand tons, slightly more than the previous year.

source: own elaboration based on GUS data

With slightly higher year-on-year harvests, we had a huge price increase compared to previous years. How is this possible? Primarily due to the very uneven distribution of these harvests over time. Early varieties yielded better and in the initial phase of the campaign, we had an oversupply of blueberries and their prices were dismal. It was only in the second phase of the season that the situation reversed, and towards the end, there was a significant supply gap.

Another factor that enabled such an expensive end to the domestic season was the low supply of blueberries in countries that supply these fruits during the import season. This mainly refers to Peru, but also to South Africa. The import season has already started, slightly earlier than usual, but with shortages in the volumes being brought in and high prices.

In the Polish market, the first batches of imported blueberries were offered at wholesale prices of around 100 PLN/kg! It is much cheaper now, but prices are still higher than in previous years. Currently, in wholesale, prices range from 60.00-90.00 PLN/kg, depending on the quality of packaging.