The situation on the market of two other “apple tigers” of Eastern Europe – Ukraine and Poland – is developing under a similar scenario. But in these countries summer apples have fallen in price to a lesser extent – by 15-20%. According to EastFruit data, at the moment the average wholesale price for apples of new harvest in Moldova is the lowest among European countries, covered by price monitoring of this specialized portal (in Moldova – 0.59/kg, Poland – 0.94/kg, Ukraine – 1.09/kg). At the same time, according to analysts of the mentioned portal, prices for apples continue to decrease under the influence of high supply – both of new crop and last year’s. As well as low demand for them due to the availability of a wide range of seasonal alternatives (stone fruits, berries, summer grapes).
Nevertheless, in August 2025 on the markets of Moldova and Ukraine the average wholesale price for apples of early varieties is about twice higher than in the same month last year.
According to observations of fruit market operators in Moldova, the bulk of summer apple is sold on the domestic “fresh market”, there are almost no exports. Deliveries of new harvest apples to apple concentrate factories, according to the staff of the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processors Speranța Con, are realized in a small volume.
The price for industrial apple is significantly lower than for “frosh” apple – 2.5-3.0 lei/kg, but noticeably higher than last summer. Prospects for further increase of prices for this raw material are not seen yet – sales and prices for apple concentrate in the European Union are stagnating. For this reason, as well as in connection with a good forecast for the harvest-2025 of apple, for example, in Poland, the price of industrial apple since the beginning of the season has decreased by almost one third – to 0.16-0.18 euros/kg.
On the other hand, prices for “frosh” apples on the European market are likely to start rising this fall under the influence of the modest global forecast. In this regard, it is worth recalling that therecent WAPA report at the Prognosfruit 2025 conference points to the relative fragility of the global apple market. In particular, on the one hand, EU apple production is expected to be stable at around 10.5 million tons – only 0.1% lower than last year. But on the other hand, the projected European harvest in 2025 is about 7.5 % below the average for the last three to five years.
The limited supply of the local commodity, combined with the multi-factor vulnerability of Eastern Europe, is likely to continue to push apple prices upward. As a result, when (and if) apple prices in Eastern Europe rise again, it will be an absolutely unprecedented event – previously, wholesale apple prices have never risen for more than two consecutive seasons. Moreover, if the apple price hike resumes in the fall, new historical price records could be set, which would be an unpleasant surprise for consumers.
