Stable prices of peaches and nectarines - for how long?
The prices of imported peaches and nectarines in August remained stable in the Polish wholesale market. However, this situation is expected to change fairly quickly. This is due to the seasonal logic of the harvest of these fruits, and it is confirmed by information coming from countries in the Mediterranean basin, especially Italy and Spain, where after generally good harvests in the current year, the season is already entering its final phase. Soon, the same will happen with the harvests in Greece or Turkey.
This year, as mentioned earlier, the peach and nectarine harvests in southern Europe were at a good level, actually the best in the past five years. In the Polish market, we also had fruits from domestic orchards, although in the peach-nectarine-apricot segment, competition against imports was very weak this year – the Central Statistical Office (GUS) predicts a significant decrease in harvests compared to last year. It should be noted that this segment has been experiencing a clear decline in production since 2020 (for peaches, according to GUS data, a decrease of about half compared to the years 2015-2019).
In any case, the high summer supply of imported peaches and nectarines (even with less competition from domestic production) was enough to significantly lower the prices of these fruits in the Polish wholesale market. However, it should be noted that nectarine prices slightly rose in June (+9 percent), and peach prices strengthened slightly in mid-July (+22 percent), enough to exceed the levels from the same periods last year. This was even more evident in the case of apricots, where the supply was visibly poorer. The prices of these fruits increased by 39 percent in July and then another 11 percent in August.
Despite the price increases, these fruits remained relatively affordable. This was particularly noticeable in retail trade, as retail chains were quite willing to offer promotions to increase the competitiveness of this segment in the market for fresh seasonal fruits.
Peaches and nectarines maintained fairly stable prices in August. Imported peaches are currently being offered in wholesale trade on a larger scale at 5.00-6.00 PLN/kg (1.17-1.40 EUR/kg), which is a 22 percent increase year-on-year. Nectarines, on the other hand, are priced at 5.00-7.00 PLN/kg (1.17-1.64 EUR/kg), which is comparable to last year. Imported apricots have prices ranging from 8.00-12.00 PLN/kg (1.87-2.80 EUR/kg), reflecting a 25 percent increase year-on-year.
The stability of prices of imported stone fruits will not last long. The pressure of decreasing supply, as is the case every year, will begin to have a stronger impact. This trend is already ongoing for apricots, and it should become apparent for nectarines and peaches in the coming week.