Strawberry supply in Poland has increased, but...

The season of imported strawberries is developing on the Polish market despite some adversities. Last week, the supply of strawberries in the Polish wholesale grew enough for this to be reflected in prices. More importantly, the dynamics of this downward trend were such that the average price of strawberries at the small wholesaler was below last year's level.

Interestingly, this was happening at a time when strawberry prices in Spain were rising. There, the strawberry picking season is still in its early stages and the timetable has been delayed by the impact of the winter weather. In Huelva, where strawberries are grown, the winter attack was not as destructive as in nearby Almeria, but the delays were caused not only by the weather on the ground but also by snow-covered roads in central and northern Spain, which also delayed logistics.

The average wholesale price in Spain rose from €3.34/kg in week 53 of 2020 to €3.38/kg in week 2 of this year. And during this period it was higher than both the 2018/2019 (€2.91/kg) and 2019/2020 (€2.56/kg) season levels.

However, on the Polish market, the Spanish strawberry is far from dominating the import offer. Here, the Egyptian fruit still reigns supreme. And this cheapened due to higher supply, but above all weak demand. The lack of demand in the HoReCa channel is a huge problem for this fruit. In the small wholesale market, prices of imported strawberries have consequently dropped from 24.00 PLN/kg (20 January) to the current 16.00-20.00 PLN/kg, i.e. by a quarter.