Sources in Poland's apple juice sector expect lower apple production in the 2026/27 season following late-April frosts in the country's main growing regions.

According to market participants speaking to Expana, the scale of the damage remains unclear due to differing reports on bloom stages during the frost period. However, some sources estimate that the crop could decline by 50 per cent year-on-year or more. Market participants also indicated that lower availability could support higher apple concentrate prices.

The expected decline follows a season of high supply and lower prices in Poland. Estimates for the 2025/26 apple crop ranged from 3.8 million tons to more than 4 million tons. High raw material availability contributed to lower apple concentrate prices during much of the season.

According to market sources, Polish processors benefited from competitive pricing during the early part of the season. More recently, however, demand for apple concentrate has weakened while supply has remained available.

Expana Benchmark Prices for Apple concentrate medium acid FCA Europe, origin Poland, stood at €1,400 per ton (US$1,596 per ton) on April 30, down 3.5 per cent month-on-month and 36.4 per cent year-on-year. This was the lowest level recorded since April 2022.

Meanwhile, sources in Türkiye reported favourable growing conditions and expect the 2026 apple crop to be 20 to 30 per cent above average. If achieved, this would mark a recovery from 2025, when some estimates suggested crop losses reached up to 60 per cent year-on-year.

Sources added: "It seems we will have a very good crop. Last year was a very bad year for Türkiye. Hopefully, we will recover from our losses this year."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com