It will be a very difficult season for Polish strawberries
The production and sale of strawberries is not an easy business in Poland even in "normal" times. It is always a great unknown how many strawberries can be picked in Poland in a given season as the yield of these fruits is strongly dependent on the weather factor. And the weather is becoming increasingly capricious. This year the weather has not been favourable to strawberry production either. However, this is not the end of the problems. There are many more challenges.
Let us start, however, with the potential yield. Strawberry growers are warning that the weather conditions have been very unfavourable this season for new crops, which have not managed to root properly. Older plantings have also been affected by the weather. This is mainly the result of excess moisture. The low temperatures also did not do the vegetation any favours.
It is already clear that the harvest of early varieties will be poor. But it is likely that the factors described above will also affect the total volume of the season. This means higher unit costs per kilo of production. And yet costs will be as high as ever this season anyway. Prices of fertilisers and protection agents have risen by tens or even hundreds of percent. On top of this there has been an increase in the price of fuel and energy, in other words, for transporting and cooling fruit. It is unclear what will happen to the labour force. It is true that refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Poland, but how many of these people will end up on strawberry plantations? After all, most of those fleeing are women and children.
As you can see, strawberry growers are facing a year of enormous challenges and difficulties. On the one hand, they will be faced with the logistics of production - providing fertilisers, protection products, transport and labour. On the other hand, it will be a fight for yield, and on the other hand for prices which will cover this significant rise in costs. We must also remember here that strawberries are not a primary commodity and their price elasticity is limited. In other words, when they are perceived as expensive by consumers, demand for them will fall sharply.