Price drops hit farmers: Grains cheaper by up to a dozen percent

Polish farmers are grappling with a sharp decline in agricultural commodity prices, particularly for grains, which have seen reductions of up to 12 percent compared to last year. Data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) indicates that while prices for potatoes and live cattle experienced a slight increase in July compared to June, most other agricultural products have become cheaper.

Specifically, the market price for potatoes rose by 4.0 percent month-on-month in July, reaching 157.34 Polish zloty per quintal. However, this price remains 17.8 percent lower than in July of the previous year. Live cattle prices also saw a modest increase of 0.2 percent from June to 12.17 Polish zloty per kilogram, marking a 2.9 percent rise year-on-year, making it one of the few products with a higher price than a year ago.

Grains continue to face downward price pressure. Wheat prices fell by 1.2 percent monthly and 9.3 percent annually to 103.39 zloty per quintal. Rye prices dropped by 1.5 percent monthly and 12.4 percent annually to 77.60 zloty per quintal. Other grains like barley, triticale, and oats also experienced similar declines. Corn, however, bucked the trend slightly, with its price increasing by 0.6 percent month-on-month to 121.25 zloty per quintal, though it is still 4.7 percent lower than the previous year.

The GUS report highlights that in July 2026, price decreases dominated across most agricultural products, both in wholesale markets and on market stalls, when compared to the same period last year. The notable exceptions were live cattle and, to a lesser extent, corn.