Fresh Market Digest: Week 40

This week, the harvest of early-autumn fruits across Europe continues. This report provides an overview of the current European fruit market, drawing on official government data, agricultural organizations, and wholesale market bulletins.

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Fruits in season

Pip fruit: Apples and pears are in full harvest across most of Europe.
Grapes: Harvest is ongoing, with many regions at peak picking now.
Specialty fruits: Persimmon harvest is beginning in southern Europe. First pomegranates are available. Kiwi harvests are just starting in the Mediterranean. Late figs are being picked, but the season is tapering off. Mango harvest is almost finished, minimal supply left. Bananas are available year-round.
Pumpkins & squash: Harvest is underway in Southern Europe and starting in northern and northwestern Europe.
Stone fruits: Plum, prune, peach, nectarine, and donut peach seasons are ending. Apricots are essentially finished.
Berries: Very few raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries remain.
Melons & watermelons: Harvests finishing, supply decreasing.

Lack of rain and high costs shape the harvest

Across Europe, the fresh fruit sector faces challenges as extreme weather and rising production costs put pressure on harvests and prices. According to Rafael Martínez, director of Uvas del Valle de Aspe in Alicante, Spain, the weather is their biggest concern at the moment.

"There are still good grapes, although so much heat and so little rain affect them. It's a challenge that cannot be fought," Martínez explains.

The company is currently harvesting the Red Globe and Doña María varieties, with yields so far remaining similar to last year. However, the absence of rain could complicate harvesting in the coming weeks. "Everything depends on the weather," Martínez adds.

He also notes that demand has decreased and sales are slower than in previous seasons. This is reflected in fruit prices, which have risen due to higher production costs.

"The fruit is more expensive because the expenses are enormous; they have risen by 30–40% for us. To achieve the minimum profits, prices had to go up," he explains.

Challenges & pressures

Water stress: Although dry conditions have resulted in high sugar levels, the lack of substantial and consistent rainfall has led to water stress in non-irrigated areas. This leads to smaller-sized fruit and potentially pushes down pricing for standard grades while creating a premium for sought-after large sizes.
Financial squeeze: Growers continue to struggle with high input costs, including specialized packaging, fertilizers, and seasonal labor wages. This pressure is compounded by volatile energy prices, which directly impact cold storage and transportation costs, making it difficult to maintain margins without significant retail price increases.
Regulatory burden: New legislative demands regarding traceability, sustainable farming practices, and mandatory reporting are creating a substantial administrative burden. These rules require significant technological investments from producers, further complicating the competitive landscape for EU fruit exporters.

Wholesale fruit prices

Spain

A look at Spain's wholesale market shows distinct price tiers. Premium berries command the highest prices, as European production has largely finished, which explains their scarcity-driven pricing. Stone fruits are at the tail end of their harvest season, with late varieties and storage fruits creating price differentiation based on quality and origin, while apricots represent end-of-season premium pricing for remaining stocks. Apples and pears are entering their peak harvest period, resulting in stable pricing across varieties as fresh harvest supplies enter the market alongside stored fruit from earlier picks. Grapes reflect the active harvest period, with price variations indicating different varietal harvest timing. Figs represent the second harvest of Mediterranean production, while kiwis are starting their harvest period, maintaining steady pricing. Melons and watermelons show end-of-season pricing as production winds down and demand shifts to other fruits.

Fruit	Variety	Prevailing Price (€/kg)
Apricots		2.50
Blueberries		14.00
Plums	Anaspar	1.48
	Tolosa	2.00
	Sun Gold	2.19
	Golden	1.52
	Queen Claudia	2.50
	Purple	1.48
Raspberries		14.40
Strawberries		7.80
Pomegranates		2.00
Figs	Green	3.38
	Black	2.50
Kiwi	Kiwigold	4.80
	Green flesh	4.00
Mangos		1.96
Apples	Granny Smith	1.70
	Fuji	2.20
	Golden	1.75
	Royal Gala	1.65
	Reineta	2.00
	Pink Lady	2.30
	Starking	1.55
Peaches	Red	1.40
	Yellow	1.80
	Calanda	2.69
Melons	Cantaloupe	1.50
	Galia	1.50
	Piel de Sapo	0.50
Blackberries		16.00
Nectarines	Yellow flesh	1.66
Donut peaches (paraguayas)		1.69
Pears	White	1.90
	Conference	1.90
	Limoneras	1.50
	Ercolini	2.25
	Doyan de Comice	2.30
Bananas		1.35
Watermelons	Without seeds	0.41
Grapes	Ideal	1.43
	Black without seeds	2.24
	Moscatel Española	2.45
	Villanueva	1.20
	Red Glober	1.58
	White without seeds	2.36
	Victoria	1.50

Italy

The Italian fruit market reflects a strong seasonal influence. Apples and pears dominate the listings, with stable pricing attributed to an abundant post-harvest supply and high product turnover. Apple varieties are all in peak harvest, with prices showing only minor variation depending on size. Plums and pumpkins similarly represent crops that are recently picked or at peak, benefiting from optimal quality and local supply.

Fruit	Variety	Price Range (€/kg)
Plums	Angeleno 40+	0.85-0.95
Pears	Kaiser 65+	1.05-1.25
	Abate Fetel 60+	1.45-1.60
Apples	Golden Ruggine 70+	0.60-0.70
	Golden Delicious 70+	0.55-0.65
	Granny Smith 70+	0.50-0.60
	Fuji 70+	0.60-0.70
Pumpkins	Delica	0.85-0.95
	Violina	0.80-0.90

France

The French wholesale market reveals that strawberries command a premium due to scarcity. Table grapes are in full harvest, with firm positioning, while imported Italian grapes provide a more accessible price. Stone fruits are winding down: domestic peaches maintain a quality premium over Spanish equivalents, with reduced supply and selective grading. Domestic plums highlight late-season specialties, sustaining strong positioning despite overall volumes dropping as harvest concludes. Apples are in peak harvest and storage programs, supporting stable prices with modest differentiation by variety. Pears represent late-season availability with steady prices.

Visit our Price Insights – Rungis International Market page to track real-time price movements and analyze market data.

Fruit	Variety & Type	Average Price (€/kg)
Strawberries	Standard Belgian, cat. I	8.52
Grapes	Chasselas Moissac south-west extra	4.20
	Italy, cat. I	1.80
	Muscat Hamburg France extra	3.16
Peaches	White flesh, Spain, cat. I, A	1.50
	White flesh, France, cat. I, A	2.00
	Yellow flesh, Spain, cat. I, A	1.50
	Yellow flesh, France, cat. I, A	2.00
Plums	Yellow Mirabelle, France, cat. I, 20-25 mm	5.00
	Green Reine-Claude de Bavay, France, cat. I, 40-45 mm	3.50
Pears	Guyot, France, cat. I, 65-70 mm	1.60
Apples	Gala, France, cat. I, 201/270g	1.62
	Golden color 1-2, France, cat. I, 201/270g	1.84
	Granny Smith, France, cat. I, 201/270g	1.84
	Reinette grise du Canada, France, cat. I 201/270g	2.04
Mango	Osteen, Spain	2.54

Greece

The Greek wholesale market showcases autumn specialties. Grapes dominate the premium segment, benefiting from peak harvest quality and domestic supply chains. Pears represent a range of harvest timings and storage capabilities. Apples show stable pricing, with classic varieties showing minimal price differentiation as they enter their prime harvest period and storage programs begin. Plums maintain their steady positioning as late-season stone fruit production concludes, while melons exhibit the characteristic end-of-summer pricing structure, with final harvest volumes. The exceptional value positioning of watermelons reflects the abundant late-season supply.

Visit the Price Insights – Athens Central Market page to monitor real-time prices and explore market data.

Fruit	Variety	Prevailing Price (€/kg)
Pears	Crystal	1.60
	Santa Maria	1.50
Plums	Vanilla	1.50
Watermelons		0.23
Apples	Gala	1.30
	Golden Delicious	1.30
	Granny Smith	1.20
	Starking Delicious	1.20
Bananas		1.00
Melons	Galia	0.75
	Thrace	0.70
Pomegranates		1.20
Grapes	Crimson	1.50
	Muscat	1.80
	Red Globe	1.60
	Sultana	1.40

Germany

The German fruit market exhibits significant stratification, driven by harvest seasonality, with stone fruits occupying the premium tier as production concludes and quality becomes more selective. Strawberries occupy the highest position due to their reliance on protected cultivation systems after outdoor seasons have ended. Italian pears exhibit strong positioning, led by specialty cultivars that achieve substantial premiums over traditional varieties. Stone fruits show wide variation ranges, indicating supply volatility as production winds down, with nectarines and peaches displaying particularly broad spreads between minimum and maximum values. Apple pricing reflects the competitive nature of peak harvest, with domestic varieties maintaining stability while multi-origin supplies create competitive pressure. Grapes maintain elevated positioning as Italian table grape regions complete their harvest, with different varieties showing the quality premiums typical of peak seasonal availability. Kiwis occupy mid-range territory as they approach their optimal harvest period, while domestic prune plums represent exceptional value as German orchards complete their specialized late-season varieties.

Visit the Price Insights – Germany Market page to follow real-time price changes and access detailed market data.

Fruit	Variety	Price Range (€/kg)
Apples	Boskoop, Germany	1.35-1.40
	Elstar, Germany	1.29-1.30
	Gala, Germany	1.39
	Gala, Germany & Italy	1.20-2.14
	Golden Delicious, Italy	1.15-1.90
	Granny Smith, France & Italy	1.38-2.07
	Honeycrunch	2.30-2.75
	Jonagold, Germany	1.12-1.72
Pears	Abate Fetel, Italy	2.86-3.62
	Alexander Lucas, Germany	1.50-1.94
	Carmen, Italy	2.30-2.80
	Conference, Germany & Netherlands	1.45-1.47
	Clapps Liebling, Germany	1.57
	Santa Maria, Italy	2.40-3.45
	Williams Christ, , Germany, France & Italy	1.42-2.50
Grapes	Crimson Seedless, Italy	3.56
	Festival, Italy	2.91
	Red Globe, Italy	2.29
	Victoria, Italy	2.22
Strawberries	Germany & the Netherlands	6.26-6.28
Nectarines	Yellow flesh, France, Italy & Spain	2.23-4.03
	White flesh, Italy & Spain	2.47-2.94
Peaches	Yellow flesh, France, Italy & Spain	2.22-4.00
	White flesh, France, Italy & Spain	2.21-2.99
Donut peaches (paraguayos)	Spain	2.50
Plums	France, Italy & Spain	2.27-2.89
Prune plums	All types, Germany	1.11-1.37
Kiwis	Greece & Italy	2.73-3.68

Stay ahead of market trends and make informed sourcing decisions by visiting Wikifarmer’s Price Insights. Access real-time wholesale prices, compare regional markets, and plan your purchases with confidence.

Market outlook

Looking ahead, the market's attention is quickly shifting to the upcoming citrus season. Expect a short-term price stabilization as the main Spanish and Italian harvests begin, which will increase local availability. However, overall consumption growth remains flat across the EU, meaning sustained price points will be difficult to achieve unless supply is constrained by weather or logistics.

Pricing stability for apples and pears throughout Q4 will heavily depend on cold storage costs. Any sustained spike in energy prices will exert upward pressure on retail prices for long-storage varieties.

Inflation remains the decisive factor influencing consumer purchasing habits. Shoppers are increasingly price-sensitive, which means high-cost specialty fruits and premium-sized top fruit may see slower movement, while more affordable alternatives and private-label produce gain market share. The enduring popularity of premium 'superfruits' like blueberries, despite their high relative cost, may create an increasingly segmented market where value-focused products and specialty products thrive, but the middle ground struggles.

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