The price for medium-acidity apples juice concentrate has increased by 22.5 percent y-o-y, with EUR1850 per MT. That’s 39.0 percent above the 5-year average of April. This increase is due to the low production of apples as per market reports that are not more than 3.5 million tonnes of apples in Poland. Poland is a significant producer of apple juice for European markets. Polish concentrate of apple juice for 2023/24 MY has been estimated to be around 250,000 tonnes according to market participants.

The demand remains steady from this month’s Mintec Benchmark price for apple juice with medium acidity remains the same m-o-m. Market sources are awaiting information on the forthcoming harvest of apples in Poland. Given the historically pricey prices, many consumers in the market have to buy for short-term purchases. Market players are hoping the prices will fall after the arrival of a new harvest, but an individual juice buyer has stated to Mintec “Although it’s still not yet time to know that, there’s nothing to suggest that prices should decrease”.

A warm winter in Poland in March has pushed the fruit trees to bloom more quickly than normal, and was and then there was an unusually cold period towards the final days of April. Market participants are trying to determine the amount of the frost-related damage that this could affect the harvest of 2024. Farmers set the fires in their orchards attempt to lessen the frost damage to their trees. A more precise understanding of the extent of damage will emerge in three to four weeks.

Apple juice with high acidity is rare across Europe and there is only a small amount of trading activities reported by Mintec during April.

Source: mintecglobal.com