Weekly summary – fresh-market.pl price analysis (5-11.01.2009)

The weather was recently the most important factor affecting the trade and prices on the market of fruit and vegetables. The heavy frost affected both the supply and turnover on the market.

The Orthodox holidays which slowed the export to the East down and the reduced import of fruit and vegetables from EU countries were the next crucial factors affecting the situation on the market.

The situation on the market of eating apples didn’t change. So far prices of apples remain stable. On the market apples from cold store are still dominating. In next weeks the export to the East should begin to revive. First supplies of apples from CA are starting to appear on the market. These factors can push prices of apples up in the near future.

The situation on the market of citruses, domestic and imported fresh vegetables is different - prices are going up.

As regards domestic vegetables upward trends are not very big and they result from decreasing supply. Prices of brassica as well as root vegetables are going up. The price of onion remains quite stable. At the end of the last week the average price of sorted onions was 0,50 PLN (0.12 euro)/kg and the average price of red onions was about 1,00 PLN (0.25 euro)/kg. The highest increase in price was in the case of leeks – at the end of last week the average price was 2.35 PLN (0.58 euro)/kg. It was a result of significant decrease in supply of these vegetables, especially in the central part of Poland. However it is still too early for the import of leeks as the leeks in western Europe are even more expensive.

Upward trends in prices of imported fruit and vegetables was bigger. On the other hand clearly reduced supply, after the holiday season, did not meet the big demand and on the other hand big fluctuation in exchange rate of Polish currency didn't help importers who were afraid of loosing money. At the end of last week prices of citruses and imported vegetables was by minimum a few per cent higher that at the beginning of the year.

Finally one should note that carrots imported from the Netherlands were appeared on the Polish market and their price was 1.05 - 1.40 PLN (0.26 – 0.34 euro)/kg, while price of washed domestic carrot reached the level 1 PLN (0.25 euro)/kg.

Source: fresh-market.pl (ms)