Red, sweet and a real luxury: strawberries are currently very expensive. What's behind it? And what prices should strawberry fans expect?
The strawberry season has begun – but with difficulties. Although many have missed the sweet red treat in recent months, some of the bowls are still left in the supermarket or at the weekly market. The reason: The high prices are preventing many customers from accessing them now. Is inflation to blame for the price rise? Or is there something else behind it?
The reason for the high strawberry prices
The rising operating costs – personnel, energy – are also driving up the price per kilo for strawberries. However, the weather chaos of the past few weeks is more important, as numerous farmers report. “The spring wasn't very sunny and the cold after Easter set back the harvest,” explains one farm, for example, to “News38.de”. The strawberries ripen in “bursts” and not evenly one after the other as usual. This makes harvesting more difficult and picking less efficient. Another point that drives up costs.
How much does a kilogram of strawberries currently cost?
According to the Spanish magazine for the fruit and vegetable trade “Mercados”, prices for the spring classic are now recovering slightly. Albeit very slowly and mainly in Germany. In this country they average 3.85 euros/kg on the wholesale market. There are regional differences: in western Germany (Cologne) the kilo is offered for around 4.28 euros, in the east (Berlin) for 3.78 euros.
However, these are wholesale prices. Farmers charge significantly more at the weekly markets. A kilo of the sweet berries costs between 10 and 12 euros/kg at the start of the season.
However, the high prices could be an exception. Simon Schumacher, board spokesman for the Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers, explains to “Bild” that this year, as in the previous year, strawberries are being offered for around 8.90 euros/kg and that consumers do not have to be prepared for strongly fluctuating prices per kilo. Many companies use polytunnels to protect plants from frost. Farmers would therefore have fewer problems with strawberries that are unplanned and ripe for harvest at different times. This means that harvest costs are lower and prices are more stable.
In addition to the prices, there are also differences in quality, the report from the Spanish trade magazine continues. This also fluctuates – a result of the contrasting regional weather conditions.
Only the strawberries in the supermarket or discounter could be very expensive at the moment and in the coming weeks (price on the wholesale market 3.33 euros/kg). French and Spanish strawberry plants are still suffering from the effects of frost over the past few weeks. And that continues to have an impact on prices per kilo, according to “Mercados”.
