Changes in industrial pear prices

The pear harvesting season in Poland is gaining momentum. This can be seen in the fresh market and also in the processing sector. The recent days have brought significant changes in the price range for the purchase of these fruits. These changes have affected prices both at the upper and lower limits of the range.

The upper limit of the purchase price range for pears has significantly decreased. Pear varieties intended for peeling are still more expensive than others (for juices and alcohol), but previously they were paid up to 1.80 PLN/kg (0.42 EUR/kg). Now the prices reach a maximum of 1.20 PLN/kg (0.28 EUR/kg), with a continuing downward trend.

Other pears, which in terms of quantity constitute the vast majority of the fruit going into processing, are also being purchased cheaper than the previous week, but the scale of the price reduction is smaller compared to the upper end. Currently, pears for juice and alcohol are priced at the level of 0.80-1.00 PLN/kg (0.19-0.23 EUR/kg).

In general, we are witnessing a decline in industrial pear prices from the range of 1.00-1.80 PLN/kg (0.23-0.42 EUR/kg) to 0.80-1.20 PLN/kg (0.19-0.28 EUR/kg), which is almost 29 percent. And this is still a very early stage of the harvesting season, with autumn varieties just beginning to enter the market. It is worth noting that this year's harvest, according to GUS forecasts, is expected to be lower than last year (74.2 thousand tons, a decrease of 6.2 percent), but higher than the long-term average. Therefore, there will be fewer pears, but not few.

How will this impact industry prices? Last year in September 2023, they were quite low, averaging around 0.60-0.63 PLN/kg (0.14-0.15 EUR/kg). However, high demand for pear products pushed them up to an average range of 1.20-1.30 PLN/kg (0.28-0.30 EUR/kg) for most of the season. Will it be similar in the current season?