Leeks are cheaper, but...
The market for domestic leeks is still in the early stage of the season, although this phase of the campaign is approaching its end. Currently, trade in these vegetables is dominated by small wholesale and retail sales. Wholesale trading on a larger scale and by weight is just starting to take shape.
The problem is that this year the leek market is facing significant supply issues, as a result of unfavorable agrometeorological conditions during several weeks of summer. We either have heatwaves and droughts, heavy rains, or a combination of both. This is generally not beneficial for vegetable crops, and leeks are no exception.
The problems with the seasonal increase in leek supply are significant enough to have a clear impact on wholesale prices. Prices for leeks sold individually have been stable for many weeks, ranging from 2.00 PLN/piece (0.47 EUR) to 3.00 PLN/piece (0.70 EUR). Prices for leeks sold by weight in wholesale trading have been decreasing throughout June, July, and August. The prices dropped quite dynamically - in June, there was a 25% discount as the market transitioned from the old harvest to the new one.
In July, we saw a price reduction of almost 31%, following an earlier 8% increase. So far in August, the average selling price of leeks has decreased by 9%. Currently, these prices are mostly in the range of 4.00 PLN/kg (0.93 EUR/kg) to 6.00 PLN/kg (1.40 EUR/kg), reaching 7.50 PLN/kg (1.75 EUR/kg) in small wholesale.
Despite these continuous price reductions, leek prices remain higher than in previous years. Year-on-year, there has been a 25% increase, and compared to the same period in 2022, there has been a 67% increase. Part of this is a consequence of the fact that the previous season ended with a significant shortage of these vegetables and high prices, so in the new season, they had room to decrease... But the main reason for this situation is the aforementioned supply problems. Not just current supply issues, because it is known that this year's harvests will be poorer, so the whole season might be expensive again (like last year), unless imports are able to fill the gap in domestic leek supply.