The industrial sour cherry season is almost over.

The sour cherry processing campaign of 2024 is quickly approaching its end. As predicted from the beginning, this end will be faster than in "normal" years. This is due to the lower yields this year and an earlier start to the campaign. Sour cherries are already scarce on the market, and processing plants are beginning to close their operations for this fruit.

This process is not without impact on prices. At the beginning of this week, there was a noticeable decrease in demand for sour cherries for freezing, as freezing companies are quickly winding down their purchasing activities in this segment of the fruit market this year. Consequently, prices offered at purchasing points have dropped.

Prices for sour cherries for freezing have therefore fallen to the range of 5.20-5.50 PLN (1.22-1.28 EUR)/kg, whereas at the end of last week, they were mostly at 5.40-5.80 PLN (1.26-1.36 EUR)/kg (although the first signs of the upcoming change were already noticeable). This represents an average decrease of 4.5 percent. Of course, these prices are still significantly higher in year-on-year comparison (+123 percent).

As of yesterday, there have been no changes in the prices for cherries for pressing (PW cherries). Prices have remained stable in the range of 4.50-5.00 PLN (1.05-1.17 EUR)/kg. This category of sour cherries has not experienced any downward price corrections in the current campaign, only further increases. Over the past week, the cumulative increase in the average price for sour cherries for pressing has been close to 27 percent. They are now more expensive by 228 percent compared to the previous year.