The prices of white cabbage have not reached last year's levels.

The prices of white cabbage in the Polish wholesale market rose almost throughout July. In large-scale wholesale, the upward trend between July 2 and 24 increased by two-thirds. However, this trend was then interrupted, and selling prices stabilized at the level of 1.00-1.60 PLN/kg, which is approximately 0.23-0.37 EUR/kg. Thus, they did not reach the record prices from the July-August 2023 period.

Currently, the average price in the large wholesale market is 1.30 PLN/kg, which is approximately 0.30 EUR/kg, while a year ago it was 1.70 PLN/kg, or around 0.40 EUR/kg. Our chart also shows that the current quotation is lower than at the beginning of August 2022 (1.60 PLN/kg or 0.37 EUR/kg) and 2019 (1.35 PLN/kg or 0.31 EUR/kg), although market dynamics suggest that this latter relationship will soon reverse.

For now, there is no talk of any oversupply of white cabbage. On the contrary, the hot summer is not beneficial for yields or quality, and this is reflected in the prices. This situation is not expected to change in the near future. Prices should remain stable, especially for good quality heads weighing between 1.00-3.00 kg.

Weather remains a very important factor influencing the dynamics of white cabbage prices. We may see a repeat of August 2022, when the prices of this vegetable, due to supply problems, remained high until October.

The likelihood is even greater considering that, according to preliminary estimates by the Central Statistical Office (GUS), cabbage harvests in 2024 will be record-low. They are expected to be only 598,000 tons. Last year, when they were also low, it was 628,000 tons, indicating a year-on-year decrease of 5.6 percent. Compared to the record-high year of 2014, when as much as 1,156,000 tons of this vegetable were harvested, there is a decrease of as much as 48.7 percent.