Watermelons are still cheaper than they were a year ago, but...

The prices of watermelons in the Polish wholesale market are currently lower than in the same period last year. In recent days, these prices have also dropped below the levels from two years ago. This is a result of better watermelon supply this summer. Our domestic watermelon production also plays a role in this.

Watermelon production in Poland is increasing year by year, and their share in our domestic fresh fruit market is growing, although it is clear that imports maintain a dominant position. However, the Polish component of this market is becoming more visible and gaining fans in the retail market.

As mentioned above, due to better supply than in the previous two years, the current prices of watermelons in the Polish wholesale market have an average value lower than in the corresponding period of those campaigns. This can be seen on the chart.

Currently, the wholesale selling prices of watermelons on a larger scale are mostly between 1.30-3.00 PLN/kg (0.30-0.70 EUR/kg). The cheapest ones are imported watermelons from Ukraine, slightly more expensive are the Hungarian ones. Directly from the importers of Ukrainian watermelons, offers can be found at around 1.00 PLN/kg (0.23 EUR/kg), but the quality of such goods is not top-notch. Polish watermelons usually have prices in the range of 2.00-2.50 PLN/kg (0.47-0.59 EUR/kg). The most expensive watermelons are imported from countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

Interestingly, the current prices of Polish watermelons are slightly higher than those from the second half of August last year. Back then, the range was 1.90-2.50 PLN/kg (0.44-0.59 EUR/kg). This is a result of not-so-favorable weather this summer. However, a year ago, the minimum price of the entire range was higher: 1.80 PLN/kg (0.42 EUR/kg) (temporarily dropping to 1.50 PLN/kg [0.35 EUR/kg] in the discussed period). Now there are more cheap offers from Ukraine.

In any case, despite the prices being slightly lower year on year (-15 percent), they are still relatively high compared to the average of the previous five seasons, being 13 percent higher. Analysis of these previous campaigns shows that in September, price trends in the watermelon market can vary greatly. Therefore, it is difficult to predict how the situation will develop this year, although currently the most likely scenario is with relatively stable prices.