At the beginning of the season, (second/third week of May) wholesale strawberry prices were approximately 13 percent higher than a year ago. In June, their prices will likely drop to the level of 2015, which was 5.73 zł/kg (1.30 Euro).
The price level of strawberries this season will depend on Poland's production volume, which is a major producer of strawberries in the European Union - second only to Spain - with a harvest totalling around 200 thousand tonnes per year. The first strawberries that hit the Polish market come mainly from Spain, Greece, Italy or Turkey, which pushes prices up.
According to CSO data, the April frost did not cause significant damage to the fruit's plantations, so no shortages are expected and their price should not be too high. Another factor determining the price of strawberries will be the situation in the processing sector. It is estimated that in Poland approximately 60-70 percent of the harvest is processed each year (mainly for the production of frozen foods and juices).
The demand in the export markets will be another determining factor. Over the past year, the market has been strongly affected by the Russian embargo. Polish strawberry exports, which in recent years had developed quite rapidly, mainly due to the increase in sales to the Russian market, decreased by nearly 17 percent in 2015 compared to 2014, down to 16.4 thousand tonnes, said Mariusz Dziwulski, an expert in the Department of Economic Analysis and Agricultural Markets at BGZ Bank BNP Paribas. "The current ban will probably lead to a further decline in strawberry prices in 2016," said Mariusz Dziwulski.
In any case, Polish strawberry exports to European Union countries experienced a substantial increase in 2015 (28 percent). "With more and better logistics infrastructure and an improvements in the quality of Polish strawberries, we have the potential to gain from the success in these markets," said Mariusz Dziwulski.
In 2015, the biggest recipient of fresh strawberries from Poland was Belarus.
