The Polish blueberry season already faced a difficult start this year due to weather conditions, and to make matters worse, several growing regions experienced heavy rainfall last weekend. "Just before the busy Duke harvest began, a lot of rain fell. This resulted in 10–15% of the Duke berries cracking. On top of that, we may once again be unable to enter the fields for several days. It's not that much more rain is forecast, but at this point in the harvest, even a millimetre too much can be a problem if the berries can't be picked," says General Manager Leo Klaassen of Limax Poland.
This year's harvest began two weeks later than last year and a week later than the average. "In late February and early March, we had unusually warm weather, followed by a cold spell. Then, in early May, several days were too cold during flowering. Yields will vary greatly across the country. I estimate that the damage ranges from 10 to 80%, depending on the region. On our own farm, we're expecting damage of around 50 to 60%," says Leo.
© Limax
"This will also impact marketing, as those who had planned promotions may struggle to supply or source the required volumes," the Limax general manager continues. In addition to land used for strawberry cultivation, the company purchased its first plots for blueberry and raspberry production in Poland in 2009. Today, Limax cultivates around 90 hectares of soft fruit in-house and collaborates closely with several growers who produce raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries using the same approach. In 2022, the company opened a new packing centre where soft fruit is packed according to customer specifications.
Further expansion of blueberry cultivation is off the table for Limax in Poland. "Polish blueberries have never really been appreciated. Growers partly have themselves to blame for that. Many small growers think they can break into export markets, only to find it much tougher than expected. This has been going on for years. The average price level is low, and I don't see that changing anytime soon."
© Limax
Sales of other soft fruit are going reasonably well, according to Klaassen. "We did suffer a bit of frost damage with the raspberries in spring. But we grow all our strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries in tunnels, and we've worked with our international retail customers for years. We only grow everbearers, and those sales are going reasonably well. We don't market anything in Poland during the domestic season, as better quality is not yet appreciated here when the local harvest is underway. But our retail customers in markets like the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and the Baltic States know our product and value our fruit."
For more information:
Leo Klaassen
Limax Sp. z o.o.
Berzyna 90a
64-200 Wolsztyn, Poland
Tel: +48 601 808 985
[email protected]
www.limax.eu
