As for the totals from January to August 2014, the production volume of frozen vegetables in medium and large companies amounted to 332 thousand tonnes and was 6.3% higher than in the same period a year earlier. A systematic increase in production in Poland has been observed since 2009, in line with the country's growing consumption as well as increasing demand for Polish frozen food exports.
Increased production of frozen vegetables has resulted in price drops in the third quarter of 2014. According to Foodnews, Polish frozen onions were about 15% cheaper in September than a year earlier, while frozen peas dropped by about 6%.
When it comes to frozen fruit and nuts in July and August, it is worth noting how their production has dropped, reaching 131 thousand tonnes, which is about 21% less than in 2013.
One of the reasons for the decrease was the lower supply of cherries and blackcurrants, despite the good growing conditions, as a consequence of the low prices in the market. The share of cherries in Poland's frozen fruits industry amounts to 20-25%, which largely explains the overall decrease in the frozen food sector.
According to Foodnews, the price of frozen cherries from mid-July to mid-September increased from 0.70 to 0.95 Euro/kg. In contrast to frozen cherries, the prices of frozen strawberries, raspberries or blackcurrants remain lower than last year. In September, frozen strawberries were about 5-15% cheaper than last year (1.1-1.50 Euro/kg), while frozen raspberry prices dropped by an average 12% (1.7 Euro/kg).
