Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Potato prices remain low in the Polish market
Potato prices in Western European markets are very low, although in recent weeks, the first indications of slight increases have been observed, according to the Agricultural Report of Wiesław Dzwonkowski, of the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Food Economy.
Potato prices on the Polish market are still low. Depending on the location, the quality of tubers and their variety, they range from PLN 23 to 40/dt. The average price level on the wholesale potato markets at the turn of January and February was PLN 0.54/kg, compared to PLN 0.56/kg in the same period of the previous year.
Just like a month earlier, domestic potatoes in Bronisze reached a price of PLN 0.40-0.55/kg; in Poznań, they stood at PLN 0.47-0.67/kg; in Lublin, at PLN 0.60/kg; in Wrocław, at PLN 0.50/kg and in Łódź at PLN 0.47-0.67/kg. There is still low demand from both the domestic and the export markets. There are many problems with surpluses, although the quality of the potatoes is not very good and losses in storage are higher than in previous years, reports Wiesław Dzwonkowski.
According to the IERiGŻ expert, there are many indications that the current season will be one of the worst for potato producers in terms of prices and income. The import of potatoes into Poland in the first five months of the current season (July-November 2017) amounted to 17,200 tonnes and was 16% larger compared to the same period of the 2015/16 season. The main supplier of potatoes to the Polish market was Germany, which supplied 10,700 tonnes, i.e. 34% more than in July-November 2016. Imports from the Netherlands amounted to 1,200 tonnes; those from Belgium reached 1,500 tonnes; France supplied 1,200 tonnes and the UK 400 tonnes.
Potato exports from Poland in July-November amounted to 8,700 tonnes and were about 42% smaller compared to the same period of the 2016/17 season. The majority of Polish potatoes went to consumers in EU countries, which absorbed 4,900 tonnes, compared to 8,200 tonnes in the same period of the previous season.
Romania, which in recent years had been the largest recipient of Polish potatoes, imported only 298 tonnes, compared to 3,402 tonnes in July-November 2016. In other EU countries, the biggest volumes sold went to Latvia (1,200 tonnes), the UK (1,100 tonnes) and the Netherlands (800 tonnes).