Current situation with blueberry prices on the Polish market

The Spanish highbush blueberry harvest campaign passed the halfway point at the end of April and is now at its peak in terms of current supply. This phase will last until around 25 June. The supply of blueberries in Spain is therefore growing rapidly, and this fact is translating into lower prices.

Already in the sixteenth week of the year, the average price for Spanish producers fell by as much as 28 percent week-on-week to €2.84/kg. The year-on-year fall was 40 per cent and the €2.84 is already below the lowest price of the whole of last year's campaign!

The effects of such a significant discount on the Spanish market are just starting to be visible also in our domestic wholesale market. Previously, prices remained relatively high and, although they have been falling since March, the dynamics of this trend were not very high. However, the latest change has been dramatic - blueberries imported from Spain have decreased by as much as 36.8% and from 28.00-46.00 PLN per kilogram, the prices in the wholesale trade have gone down to 20.00-28.00 PLN per kilogram.

This is less than in the same period last year. And this despite the fact that in the current season transport costs have increased considerably. At that time, wholesale prices reached 60.00 PLN/kg, although in larger-scale trade it was up to 35.00 PLN/kg.

If this trend continues in the coming weeks, it will not be good news for Polish blueberry producers. The domestic blueberry season is still some time away, especially since the start may be delayed by the weather, but if imports are cheap, domestic blueberry prices will fall faster. Unfortunately, it is not known what acreage is occupied by blueberries in Poland in 2022 because the data from the ARMA crop register are incomplete.

We know that between 2020 and 2021, it increased from 8809 ha to 10993 ha, i.e. by about 25 per cent and this dynamics is likely to be maintained. This means that there is a high probability of an equally dynamic increase in yields (unless the weather plays a trick) and, therefore, an increase in supply pressure with worsening export prospects (Belarusian embargo, war in Ukraine, increased transport costs). This may therefore be a very difficult season for Polish highbush blueberry growers.