GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW RASPBERRIES

At the same time, cultivation and export conditions are shifting in key international origins. Morocco ended its 2025-2026 season earlier than expected, with fresh exports declining while frozen shipments increased, whereas South Africa is preparing for the new season following early budding. Across the global market, weather conditions, labour availability, logistics, and changing supply from competing origins continue to influence raspberry availability and pricing.France: Tight supply keeps prices firmThe French raspberry market remains characterized by limited supplies following several weeks of high temperatures that weighed on production. In southwestern France, the heat was still severely affecting raspberry plants in mid-August, leading to lower volumes and significant market tightness. Faced with limited availability, operators raised their prices: as of August 12, standard protected-crop raspberries from the Southwest averaged €17.20/kg at the shipping stage, up €0.80/kg.The situation is now beginning to change as heatwave conditions have subsided. As of August 19, the RNM (French Market News Network) reported a slight increase in production in the Southwest. Volumes continue to move easily, although demand is less intense than the previous week, when the market was particularly tight due to a shortage of product. Under these conditions, prices remain firm.In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, supplies are also trending upward. As of August 20, volumes continued to recover very gradually, with operators reporting no difficulties in moving their product. Prices also remain firm.This development follows several episodes of extreme heat and drought that have affected French production in recent months. Numerous crops have been impacted, with lower yields and quality issues reported across several production regions.At the wholesale level, French raspberries in 125-gram punnets are generally trading at between €2.50 and €3.00 per punnet, depending on the market, while Portuguese raspberries remain available at comparable price levels. In supermarkets, the RNM reported an average retail price of €25.94/kg for French raspberries as of August 13, compared with €23.42/kg for imported raspberries.The Netherlands: Prolonged period of low availability"Raspberries remain a challenging product on the market. In June and early July, volumes from Portugal were at a good level. As July progressed, however, these volumes declined, resulting in rising prices. This was in line with what we were seeing locally: high temperatures and very low availability," says a Dutch importer."When temperatures reach 30 °C or higher, the plants become stressed, causing supply to drop significantly. This has resulted in clear shortages on the market in recent weeks. Availability from Poland was also limited due to changing weather conditions and the transition from the first to the second picking.""Meanwhile, weather conditions have become somewhat more moderate and, fortunately, it is wetter at the time of writing. We hope that volumes from the various origins will pick up again in the coming period. From this weekend onwards, we expect our growers in Morocco to start with the first volumes for export."Italy: Good quality and satisfactory pricesIn Italy, raspberry yields vary depending on the growing region and, consequently, the climate. A major producer in Emilia-Romagna says that high temperatures this season have caused yields to fall slightly below normal levels. However, quality remains good, and prices are also satisfactory. The weather has altered the plants' growth patterns, resulting in the second harvest beginning significantly earlier than in previous years.Further north, in South Tyrol, the raspberry harvest will continue until October. According to the coordinator of a marketing organization, the average selling price from the warehouse to customers is around €15 per kilo during these weeks in August. Yields have been very good so far this year, and producers are achieving a satisfactory gross saleable output.Germany: Strong sales give way to limited southern supplyDomestic raspberries also offered appealing quality at the start of the season, leading to correspondingly strong sales. "There was a consistently high level of promotional activity in food retail and, overall, a good flow of produce," Frutania GmbH reported in mid-July. Raspberries are less sensitive to heat than other berries, meaning volumes and quality remained fairly stable even during the heatwave.However, with the heatwave continuing, the supply of berries from southern Germany remained very limited. On some days, no raspberry deliveries were available in the southern German region. Consequently, prices are trending upwards.Spain: Huelva maintains year-round supply despite summer heatHuelva accounts for roughly 90% of Spain's total raspberry production. Although production in Huelva slows drastically during July and August due to intense summer heat, the introduction of remontant (everbearing) varieties allows the region to maintain a continuous, baseline supply of raspberries year-round.In Segovia, in areas such as Chañe, Coca, and Nava de la Asunción, the primary focus is summer strawberries, although a few companies also grow raspberries during the hot months.The 2026 raspberry marketing campaign in Spain has been marked by adverse weather. A succession of winter storms slowed early ripening in greenhouses and caused occasional supply shortages. However, the introduction of new primocane (remontant) varieties and a stable cultivated area of around 2,000–2,300 hectares in Huelva allowed for a steady recovery heading into spring, resulting in a 5% increase in volume to around 39,545 tons in Huelva.Although the initial fruit shortage pushed prices up and cushioned the impact, the total value decreased slightly by 3% to €222.7 million. Despite the positive volume balance, profit margins remained under pressure due to factors such as competition from third countries. Imports from Morocco continued to gain ground in the early marketing windows of Central European retail, driven by lower operational costs.On the other hand, the chronic lack of regulated water supply and the absence of definitive soil disinfection solutions limit future investment projections for new varieties.Switzerland: Cultivation area expands by around 3%The Swiss Fruit Association (SOV) is optimistic about this year's soft fruit harvest, with a total of 2,411 tons of raspberries expected. This estimate is higher than last year's, due in part to the expansion of cultivation areas. For raspberries, this represents an increase of around 3%.Austria: Local produce mainly sold through food retailIn Austria, Moroccan and Polish raspberries are still available in wholesale and specialist retail outlets, while local produce is predominantly found in food retail outlets. Prices currently stand at around €29.52 per kg.Finland: Prices slightly lower as growers shift to sweeter varieties"The buying price for Finnish raspberries was slightly lower this season than last year. Fortunately, more and more growers are opting for genuinely sweet varieties and are gradually moving away from Glen Ample. That's good for the market, because you can sell deliciously sweet raspberries time and again. Sometimes the punnet is already empty before customers have even reached their car," says a Finnish strawberry trader.North America: Strong supply puts pressure on pricesRaspberries are currently in plentiful supply on the market. This was not the case at the same time last season, and this year, the increased availability is putting pressure on prices.There has been a substantial increase in raspberry supply from Mexico for more than a year, with most of the fruit currently coming from Baja California and some from central Mexico. This is partly due to an expansion of farming in Baja California, while new varieties are also producing better yields.California is also seeing strong raspberry supply. Its season started earlier than usual, as warmer winter temperatures accelerated crop development across multiple growing regions. This resulted in overlapping harvest windows and record volumes compared with last year. Despite weather challenges, supply was able to get back on track in time for the peak of the season.South Africa: Early budding signals the start of the new seasonSouth African raspberry bushes are emerging from dormancy, with early budding already noticeable. The harvest will recommence in November.South African export raspberries are mainly exported to the EU and the UK, with some volumes going to the Middle East. Their shelf life is among the shortest of export fruit, and all raspberries are transported by air freight. Raspberry exports have increased slightly over the past three years, reaching 1,181 tons during the 2025/2026 season. During 2019/2020, South Africa exported more than 2 tons of raspberries.During the 2024/2025 season, 75% of South Africa's raspberries were sent to the Middle East, with the United Kingdom accounting for the remaining 25%, alongside smaller volumes going to Europe and Africa.Morocco: Exports fall 7% as season ends earlyMorocco's raspberry sector closed the 2025-2026 campaign below expectations, with the second harvest cycle bearing the brunt of a season marked by weather, labour, and market setbacks. Storms and floods across northern Morocco between January and March caused more damage than initially anticipated. The season ended prematurely, with many growers unable to resume picking after the Eid holidays due to a persistent labour shortage.Market access added further pressure, as high transport costs rendered the Gulf market, in the context of the war in the Middle East, largely inaccessible, redirecting exports towards Europe. Logistics compounded the difficulties, with slow operations at the port of Algeciras causing delivery delays and quality losses. This left exporters reluctant to ship and pushed growers towards freezing product instead.According to a growers' representative, raspberry prices remained flat despite lower supply. Fresh raspberry exports fell 7%, from 63,554 to 59,149 tons, with the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region recording the largest regional decline, at 22%. Frozen raspberry exports, by contrast, rose 19%, from 12,950 to 15,452 tons.The first phase of the season, which ended on March 31, recorded satisfactory demand. Fresh raspberry exports reached 44,319 tons, compared with 45,321 tons during the same period last season, a decline of 2%. Frozen raspberry exports reached 10,084 tons, compared with 7,952 tons during the same period last season, an increase of 27%.Next Topic: MangoesPublication date: Fri 21 Aug 2026© FreshPlaza.com / Stefan Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen