Has the celery price trend stopped?

The prices of celery in the Polish wholesale market are in a long-term downward trend, which is a normal seasonal phenomenon during the summer and autumn. However, this year the trend has less momentum and is progressing with more resistance than usual. Celery prices in the Polish wholesale market have been falling throughout August, and the first half of September saw a continuation of this trend. However, it now appears that the situation has changed, as can be seen in the chart.

The decline in the selling prices of washed and bagged celery, offered in large wholesale quantities, has now been stopped at an average level of 2.90 PLN/kg, followed by an upward correction. Currently, these prices are again in the range of 2.50-3.50 PLN/kg, depending on the region of the country and the size of the vegetables offered. These prices are significantly higher not only than the average price from the previous five years but are actually higher than all the quotations from those seasons, including a 20 percent increase from last year's price (2.50 PLN/kg on average).

The question is whether this stability around the 3.00 PLN/kg mark will prove to be lasting or just a temporary pause in the seasonal downward trend. If it's the former, it would be a very important indication of how the 2024/2025 celery market season will unfold. Stopping the price decline at such a high level for this phase of the campaign likely indicates a supply issue with celery. Remember that according to GUS forecasts, celery harvests in 2025 would only amount to 101 thousand tons (and this forecast is from July, the next one is likely to be worse), which is less than in previous years.

source: author's own elaboration based on GUS data