Autumn is the time for Brussels sprouts in Poland

2021-11-04 09:48

Poland is neither a large producer nor an exporter of Brussels sprouts. This vegetable, although quite popular in the autumn and winter diet, is not as widespread as in the Netherlands, Germany or Great Britain, where the little cabbages are inextricably associated with winter and especially Christmas.

The CSO does not provide separate data on Brussels sprouts production, and as for foreign trade, in 2020 Poland exported just under 1355 tonnes of fresh Brussels sprouts (and this was a very good result, the year before was not bad, but the volume was 966 tonnes), and imported 2407 tonnes (in 2019 it was 1080 tonnes).

So you can see by the scale of foreign trade that it is not a big market. What is even more interesting is that almost all trade is limited to the Netherlands, where 1218 tonnes of Polish fresh Brussels sprouts went in 2020 (90 per cent of total exports) and from where 2347 tonnes of this vegetable were imported (98 per cent of total imports in this category).

In any case, in autumn and winter the popularity of Brussels sprouts among Polish consumers is increasing and the demand for them in wholesale is growing. This vegetable is perceived as healthy and the fashion for health and healthy food is on the rise.

And what is the price situation for Brussels sprouts on the domestic fresh vegetable market this year? Well, the situation varies depending on the region of the country. Specifically, in most regions, prices remain fairly stable and slightly higher than last year. The exception is the Bronisze market, where prices in October clearly fell.

Small wholesale Brussels sprouts prices at the main local regional exchanges are ranging from 5.00 PLN/kg to 7.00 PLN/kg. And as mentioned above, they remain relatively stable. A year ago it was 4.50-5.50 PLN/kg in the same locations. Back then, the downward trend in Brussels sprouts prices was already widespread in early November.

Currently, it can only be seen in the suburbs of Warsaw's Bronisze. Here, prices are at 3.00-5.00 PLN/kg and have fallen by as much as 47 percent since the beginning of October. In Bronisze, unlike at other markets, prices are already cheaper than in the same period last year, when the average price of Brussels sprouts was 4.50 PLN per kilo (now 4.00 PLN per kilo). Interestingly, selling prices in producers' offers are also within the range of 3.00-5.00 PLN/kg.

Add comment

Commentary option available only for users with a subscription purchased