Poland: Strawberry Prices Volatile as Season Nears End, Supply of Premium Fruit Drops
Polish strawberry wholesale prices have shown strong volatility in the second half of June 2026, with significantly reduced supply of high-quality fruit and rapid sales at the Bronisze market. The harvest is ending early due to weather-related losses and increased fungal pressure.
On the Bronisze wholesale market and in central Poland, strawberries of medium but decent quality traded at €5.2–5.4/kg (22–23 PLN/kg) on 18 June 2026. Premium fruit, especially of the Asia and Tea varieties, reached €5.9–6.1/kg (25–26 PLN/kg), with occasional transactions at €6.6/kg (28 PLN/kg) and a maximum of €7.0/kg (30 PLN/kg) for top lots under shortage conditions. Lower-quality strawberries were not in demand at wholesale, with buyers prioritizing fruit with minimal fungal damage due to widespread issues with botrytis and post-harvest shelf life.
Farm-gate prices for strawberries with hulls (for processing) in the Grójec region fell from €1.0/kg (4.20 PLN/kg) to about €0.8/kg (3.50 PLN/kg) between mid and late June. The price gap between dessert and processing fruit remained significant, with much of the lower-quality crop diverted to processors due to damage from rains and disease.
Availability of top-quality strawberries declined rapidly after heavy rainfall, which in some areas reached 50–100 mm over several days during the main harvest. This led to a sharp reduction in marketable yields and forced many growers to end picking early, especially for late varieties like Malwina, Florence, and Faith. Producers in the Grójec and Góra Kalwaria areas reported that harvest would finish within a week, with no field-grown strawberries expected on the market in July.
Demand for premium strawberries remained high, with some lots selling immediately upon arrival at wholesale markets, while fruit not meeting quality standards struggled to find buyers. Retail and wholesale trade was further disrupted by incidents such as vandalism of sales kiosks and increased enforcement against unlicensed street vendors in cities like Łódź.
Weather in June 2026 was characterized by late spring frosts (down to -9°C at ground level in some regions), followed by drought and then intense rainfall during the ripening and harvest period. This sequence created major challenges for both fruit quality and continuity of supply to the Polish market.
Compiled from Polish trade press (2026-06-21)