Prices for sour cherries intended for the processing industry have begun to fall sharply, despite this year’s harvest being significantly lower and processing plants facing the risk of not having sufficient raw material. The Association of Fruit Growers of the Republic of Poland suspects that the situation cannot be attributed exclusively to market dynamics. The organization has asked the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection to urgently review the pricing policies adopted by the main processors.
The request was sent on July 28, 2026 to the president of UOKiK, Tomasz Chróstny. The Association is asking not only for inspections to be launched, but also for an investigation into whether agreements may have taken place between processing plants capable of influencing the level of prices paid to growers.
This year’s season is difficult for sour cherry growers. Spring frosts, followed by drought, have reduced orchard productivity. According to the Association of Fruit Growers of the Republic of Poland, the actual harvest is lower than both last year’s crop and the multi-year average.
At the beginning of the season, this situation was reflected in the prices offered by collection centers. With limited supply and demand still strong, prices for sour cherries intended for processing were relatively favorable for growers. Within just a few days, however, the trend reversed sharply.
– Unfortunately, in recent days the price, contrary to the logic of the free market, instead of increasing has begun to fall rapidly – Mirosław Maliszewski, president of the Association of Fruit Growers of the Republic of Poland, stated in the letter.
As he emphasized, some market operators suspect that the simultaneous reduction in prices may be the result of illegal agreements between processors.
– According to numerous market operators – fruit growers, collection centers and some processing plants – this situation may be the result of agreements prohibited by law and comparable to a price cartel, aimed at obtaining excessive profits – the president of the Association wrote.
One of the main aspects that, according to the Association, UOKiK should examine concerns the scale and speed of price changes. The organization is asking why, despite the limited availability of raw material, almost identical price reductions are occurring simultaneously at numerous processing plants throughout Poland.
Fruit growers are also asking for an investigation into whether meetings, discussions or other forms of coordination took place between the main companies processing sour cherries that could have resulted in a reduction in purchase prices.
The letter does not state that a violation of the law has been committed. These are suspicions and questions addressed to the competent authority responsible for examining the market and identifying any agreements restricting competition.
The Association also reports cases of pressure being exerted on intermediaries operating collection centers. According to information received by the organization, some of them were allegedly forced to reduce the prices paid to growers.
– Cases of pressure being exerted on collection centers have also been reported, with the aim of forcing them to artificially reduce prices paid to growers – the document states.
Further concerns relate to interruptions in operations at processing plants. The Association draws attention to technical shutdowns, breakdowns and maintenance work announced simultaneously by several processing plants, right in the middle of the harvest.
According to the organization, such circumstances could limit opportunities to sell the fruit and create the impression of a high surplus of raw material on the market.
Fruit growers are asking for clarification as to whether the shutdowns were caused by genuine technical problems or whether they could have been intended to artificially reduce demand for sour cherries.
The Association is particularly critical of the practice of accepting fruit without communicating the price in advance. According to the organization, some processing plants and collection centers do not inform growers of the price either before harvesting begins or at the time of delivery.
The final price is communicated only late in the evening and, in some cases, even the following day. In the case of sour cherries, this effectively deprives the grower of the possibility to negotiate or withdraw from the sale, since freshly harvested fruit rapidly loses quality and is unsuitable for prolonged storage.
– This situation puts them in an extremely difficult negotiating position, because sour cherries cannot be stored even for one day – emphasized Mirosław Maliszewski.
The grower, who has already incurred the harvesting costs and transport costs, is therefore often forced to accept a price determined only after the fruit has been delivered.
The Association of Fruit Growers of the Republic of Poland is calling on the president of UOKiK to use the available legal instruments and inspect the policies adopted by processing plants operating in Poland.
– It is necessary to urgently activate the instruments available to the institution under your leadership in order to eliminate what, in my opinion, are unfair trading practices currently taking place in the collection and processing of sour cherries sector – the president of the Association wrote.
The organization is also asking to be progressively informed about any results of the proceedings. At this stage, UOKiK has not yet determined whether a price cartel has occurred on the market. The Association’s letter constitutes a formal request to investigate the suspicious practices and price trends.
For growers, time is a decisive factor. The sour cherry harvest is short and the fruit must be sent quickly for processing. Every additional day characterized by low prices results in tangible losses for fruit growers, which can no longer be recovered once the season has ended.
Image source: Stefano Lugli
Margherita Kulma
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