Beetroot prices go on record in Poland

Beetroot prices in the domestic wholesale market in Poland have remained at levels higher than in the corresponding periods of many previous seasons since the second half of December. This can be seen perfectly in our chart below. It can also be seen there that the upward trend in prices for these vegetables at the large wholesaler has not run smoothly. Both in February and in March we had two significant corrections of the average sale price of washed beetroot (by 17 and 14 per cent) caused by weaker demand for this vegetable.

But beetroot prices in the Polish large wholesaler are rising again. Currently, the selling prices of washed beetroot, packed in bags, are mostly in the range of 1.00-1.50 PLN per kilo. This means an upward rebound from the lowest level in March by as much as 39 per cent. The graph shows that the current average (PLN 1.25/kg) has equalled the level of the 2018/2019 season, only that at that time such a price was only in force in May, at the very end of the season.

Producers and traders report a large increase in demand for beetroot and are unanimous in their assessment: this is related to the war in Ukraine and shipments of vegetables to that country. The same is true for carrots, onions and white cabbage, a set of vegetables that are absolutely basic in Ukrainian cuisine.

Of course, such a significant increase in prices weakens current demand and may again lead to downward adjustments. But it seems that with low beetroot stocks, the upward trend will always return in the end anyway and before the end of the season we will see prices like we have not seen on the beet market, at least in the last decade.