If you have been to a supermarket recently you have likely noticed the price of strawberries has been pretty inconsistent.
Just a month ago they were selling for $1 a packet, and now they are back up to $3.50, or even $5 depending on which part of the country you are in.
Each year as the weather warms the area producing Australias strawberries switches to farms in cooler climates, like Victoria and Tasmania.
In Western Australia, most of the states strawberry crop in major growing areas near Perth are close to finishing.
Bullsbrook grower and Strawberry Growers Association of WA spokesperson Jamie Michael said gaps in the market had increased prices, providing a much-needed end of season boost for the industry.
“Things are improving a little bit, but its been a very ordinary season for the industry,” he said.
“The thing that is really pulling up prices now is a reduction in supply, so Queensland going offline at the end of the season and the Victorian season not really kicking in as yet.
Mr Michael said next seasons strawberry crop in WA would again be about 25 per cent below average as growers were still concerned about access to markets and labour shortages.
“I think psychologically its really important that growers can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel coming out of this season, otherwise the thought looking ahead to next year would be quite horrific,” he said.
2021 saw a significant increase in the price of strawberries in European markets due to poor weather conditions affecting crop yield. Strawberries are California’s sixth highest value crop and brought in $1.83 billion in 2019.
In India, the selling price was 300 INR/kg in Pune and Mumbai, although the average price was between 150 and 200 INR/kg during the season, depending on the fruits quality. The prolonged monsoon, which resulted in significant rainfall in September and early October, has had a detrimental effect on both fruit quality and productivity, according to Mahabaleshwar growers. As a result, strawberry prices increased by about 100% in comparison to the same period last year.
In 2020, the United States employed 23,280 hundredweights, worth more than $2.2 billion. 4510 tonnes of fresh market strawberries were consumed. Fresh strawberry prices averaged 106 USD/hundredweight. Outside of North America, Mexico is the leading provider of this commodity to the United States, accounting for more than 10% of all strawberries imported in 2020.
According to Procurement Resource, the uncertainty around seasonal variations suggests a mixed market behavior by Strawberries going forward as well.
Although the outbreak had an impact on strawberry prices during Q2 of 2022, overall sales did not suffer much. Early in the season, prices were high, ranging from 200-300 RMB/kg. In the days leading up to and following the Spring Festival, the price of a kilogramme stabilised at 90–120 RMB/kg (15–18 USD/kg).
With a loss of around 100 million USD, the farmers priced Strawberries higher to recover some losses. The situation around Strawberries started improving in the second quarter as the farming and harvesting activities resumed in a more normal manner. Overall, mixed market sentiments were observed.
How did prices get so low in the first place?
The drop in price in late winter was partially caused by the pandemic.
The Victorian and NSW lockdown closed restaurants, cafes and bakeries, and robbed supermarkets of foot traffic.
This combined with a good growing season in winter growing regions Queensland and WA meant there was lots of winter fruit available and no-one to buy it.
While that was great for shoppers, it was bad news for the growers.
It got so bad some were forced to kill plants a month early.
The practice of spraying out crops usually only occurs at the end of the growing season and prevents the spread of disease from rotting fruit.
Tasmanian grower Roly Mackinnon is three weeks away from the start of harvest and confident the price will not dip to the levels seen earlier this year.
“I think the oversupply is clearing up a bit. Queensland is starting to phase out. I think its actually bounced back quite well,” he said.
“There are times of the year when the cost of production is more then we get paid. It happens most years, but not for a long period of time.”
He said no matter what happens with the price they will keep harvesting.
“We have to pick every second day … well pick it, well put it in a punnet, and well send it to market,” Mr Mackinnon said.
“Theres nothing we can really do about it. We will just continue producing and fingers crossed the consumers get back into the supermarket and start buying some strawberries.
“At the end of the day we just have to keep harvesting and ride out the rough times if they arise.”
Selling The World’s Sweetest Strawberries For $50 A Box
FAQ
Why is strawberry so expensive right now?
Why is there a strawberry shortage?
What’s going on with strawberries?
What to avoid when buying strawberries?
Why are strawberries so expensive?
“They [strawberries] might be expensive because if we don’t get the people to pick them, the supply is going to be greatly reduced.” Backpackers and holidaymakers are no longer around to pick strawberries on Queensland farms. (Supplied: LuvaBerry)
How many strawberries is too many?
Strawberry is a very healthy and low-calorie fruit, in 100g it has only 45kcal. There are also no reported side effects, so there is no set threshold.
Why are strawberry prices rising?
The shortage in food items and the rise in input prices have also led to an increase in consumer prices. The U.S. consumer price index rose by 6.2 percent in October 2021 compared to the same month last year, which is also its fastest rate of growth since 1990. The rise in strawberry demand has been driven by consumers’ changing preferences.
Where did Strawberries come from in 2021?
Strawberry volumes in the U.S market in January of 2021, were slightly lower (3 percent) than those registered in 2020. The strawberry volumes of these past weeks of 2021 came from California, Florida y Mexico. (Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)