The global strawberry season in 2023 exhibited a range of dynamics across different markets. The Netherlands encountered an early autumn harvest, causing losses for farmers later in the season. In France, there was a decline in autumn strawberry consumption as consumers increasingly tuned into natural vegetative seasons. On the flip side, Italy anticipated an increase in strawberry production, despite a slight dip in consumption. Spain faced a challenging season marked by a late start, necessitating the uprooting and replanting of plants. In North America, a strawberry market overview by FreshPlaza indicated limited supplies.
Belgium reported exceptionally high strawberry prices, driven by robust demand in the European market coupled with constrained supply. A Belgian trader noted that delayed strawberry shipments from Egypt, along with increased supplies from Belgium and the Netherlands, were expected to alleviate the situation. Currently, prices were believed to be at a record high.
The German market was dominated by expensive greenhouse strawberries from the Netherlands, with expectations of the first batches of Greek strawberries arriving soon, thanks to favorable weather conditions in Greece conducive to a successful harvest.
In Austria, the 2022 strawberry season witnessed a 19% increase in production compared to 2021. Strawberries accounted for 7% of the total harvest in the country’s industrial fruit growing sector, with a slight expansion in acreage from 1138 hectares in 2016 to 1221 hectares in 2022, a minimal increase of approximately 1% from the previous year.
Looking ahead, Egypt was gearing up for its strawberry season, with increased demand due to unfavorable weather conditions affecting Morocco and Spain. Egyptian producers expected higher prices, attributing them to elevated production costs and the devaluation of the Egyptian pound, which contributed to stabilizing export prices.
In Morocco, the strawberry sector was recovering from a challenging season characterized by adverse weather conditions, significant volume losses, and a lack of demand. Strawberries experienced the most substantial volume losses due to temperature fluctuations and low prices. Rising production costs and lower yields led to reduced profitability, resulting in a 20-25% decrease in strawberry planting areas in favor of other crops such as raspberries, avocados, and potatoes.
Source: FreshPlaza