Will Golden Delicious go to the industry?

Golden Delicious apples have been one of the leading varieties achieving the highest prices on the Polish wholesale market for years. Unfortunately, in the past season, their position has significantly deteriorated. This situation is caused by a combination of factors in the global market, all of which are completely independent of the Polish apple industry. We have written about them many times on the pages of fresh-market.pl.

In the current season, we are seeing a continuation of last year's situation, with Golden Delicious apples suffering once again. Despite lower yields, this variety currently has prices lower than last year. Recently, these current prices have also fallen below the levels from the same period in 2020.

Currently, the purchase prices for Golden Delicious apples are mostly 1.50-1.70 PLN/kg for size 70+. Prices around 1.70-1.80 PLN/kg are for thicker apples, for example size 70/80. On average, current prices are nearly 9 percent lower year over year. Already in the fall of 2023, Polish fruit growers pointed out that Golden apples are too cheap in relation to production costs and compared to what this variety used to deliver in previous years.

Let's focus on the chart above. It is evident that at the beginning of the 2023/2024 season, the situation in the Golden market was better than later in the campaign. In April this year, prices fell below the five-year average. There are strong indications that the current season will not be easier, and Golden prices in the fresh market will continue to be under pressure due to weak demand.

However, if a sufficient amount of these fruits goes to processing, prices not only have a chance to remain at the current level but may even increase in the second half of the campaign. Currently, processing prices for Golden apples are 1.20 PLN/kg, which is an attractive level for lower-quality apples. Such fruits make up a significant portion of this year's harvest.