Polish apple growers protest falling industrial fruit prices

Tensions are rising in the Polish apple market as prices for industrial apples have dropped to approximately 50–55 groszy per kilogram at some collection points. This price decline occurs despite reports of lower harvests compared to the previous year, creating a conflict between fruit growers and processing plants.

Mirosław Maliszewski, President of the Association of Fruit Growers of Poland, has criticized these rates as “economic banditry,” arguing they lack economic justification and fail to cover production costs such as fertilizer, fuel, and labor. He has called on producers to limit sales where possible and has not ruled out more intense protests, including the blocking of processing plants.

In response to the situation, MP Paulina Matysiak has submitted an inquiry to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The inquiry seeks to address potential market concentration and the unfair use of contractual advantages by large buyers. This follows a previous incident in April where the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) fined fruit collection companies 1.57 million PLN for price collusion.