Strawberries - at the end of the season, wholesale prices have dropped slightly.

The strawberry season of 2024 in Poland is clearly nearing its end. The purchase of fruits for processing is now minimal, as the vast majority of processors have already concluded the strawberry campaign. The dessert strawberry sector is also rapidly approaching the end of the season. The early end of this year's strawberry campaign in Poland is not surprising. Such a scenario was known from the very beginning of the season - even much earlier.

And how are the prices of Polish dessert strawberries shaping up in this final phase of the trading season? Typically, with a decrease in current supply, we see an increase in prices. However, the 2024 season was significantly different in terms of wholesale strawberry prices from typical scenarios, and it remains so.

There was a clear price reduction for dessert strawberries last week. It should be noted, however, that this reduction did not apply to the entire available assortment. The field-grown Malwina variety, which suffered in quality due to the hot weather, experienced the biggest price drop. Strawberries from tunnel cultivation maintained their prices. As a result, the average selling price in large wholesale markets decreased, mainly due to the low prices of the mentioned field-grown strawberries.

Price range was between 10.00-18.00 PLN/kg (2.35-4.23 EUR/kg). However, as seen in the chart, this 12.5% decrease in the average price did not significantly impact the market landscape. Prices continued to remain at record levels. Additionally, the following week started with a further strengthening of the average price, as field-grown strawberries quickly disappeared from the market, with fruit from protected cultivation dominating the offerings. Currently, wholesale prices mostly range between 12.00-20.00 PLN/kg (2.82-4.70 EUR/kg).