The Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics estimates that this year strawberries will be expensive, as crop yields are expected to be average, weather depending.

Bozena Nosecka from the Institute told the PAP news agency that strawberries will not be cheaper than last year’s prices, with some more expensive types of strawberries expected to reach 7 zloty (1.8 euro).

In 2010, the average price for strawberries set aside for freezing amounted to 2.8 zloty per kg, with higher quality strawberries being sold for as much as 3.5 – 5 zloty per kilo, double the prices seen in 2009.

Currently strawberries are imported for sale in Poland, mainly from Spain, Greece, and Hungary, with prices ranging wildly between 6 – 18 zloty a kilo. Hungarian strawberries are the most expensive, reaching 18 zloty (4.5 euro) a kilo.

This year’s strawberry harvest is expected to start later than in 2010, when the first strawberries arrived on market stalls at the end of May. (jb)