Polski
Organic Is Growing, Weather Is Shuffling the Deck: Apples and Grapes in the Spotlight
The new season is painting two very different pictures of global fruit growing. In Poland, the organic apple segment is climbing despite an otherwise tough season overall, while across the Atlantic, frosts and unpredictable weather are reshuffling the deck – some producers are celebrating record harvests, others are counting their losses. Here's what the numbers are telling us this week.
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01 · Organic Farming
Polish organic apples: a niche that doesn't know crisis
While Poland's conventional apple market is grappling with a difficult season, the organic segment keeps thriving. According to AgroQueens, in the 2025/26 season apples with organic certification already accounted for around 7% of the company's volumes – and that share is expected to keep growing in the years ahead [1]. The driving force behind this is the rising appetite among Western European consumers for fruit that is sustainably grown and fully traceable from orchard to shelf. The company is responding to this trend by investing in new packaging better suited to retail chains' expectations.
That doesn't mean organic production is free of challenges. Climate variability and maintaining consistent fruit quality from season to season remain the industry's main headaches. Even so, forecasts for the coming season are optimistic – a signal that investments in certification and modern storage for organic apples may pay off in the long run [1].
02 · Harvest Forecasts
USA: grapes and cranberries climb, apples and pears slide
A very different, more contrasting picture emerges from the latest US 2026 harvest forecast. California table grape production is expected to grow by 10%, to 1.15 million tons, while the cranberry harvest is set to rise by 5% [2]. At the same time, forecasts for apples and pears are heading in the opposite direction entirely: the apple harvest is expected to fall by 6%, to 10.4 billion pounds, while pears are set to drop by as much as 15% – which would make this the third-weakest season for US pears since 1972 [2].
The declines are driven mainly by spring frosts, which hit Pennsylvania (-58% in apple yields) and Virginia (-48%) the hardest [2]. It's a reminder of just how much weather during the critical blooming weeks can shape a season's final outcome – the very same year can be a record-breaker for one fruit species and exceptionally weak for a neighboring orchard growing something else.
Taken together, the two stories make clear that this year's season refuses to fit a single, simple narrative. In Poland, it's strategic decisions by producers – investments in organic certification and packaging – that are driving growth despite generally tough market conditions. In the US, meanwhile, it's weather that determines which fruit species come out ahead and which fall behind in a given season. What ties both stories together is this: flexibility and investment in quality and storage are becoming key to the stability of the fruit-growing business.
Summary
Summary
The 2026 season shows that success in fruit growing increasingly depends on more than just harvest volumes – spotting consumer trends correctly and building resilience against weather's whims matter just as much. If you'd like to talk strategy for organic market segments, modern storage solutions, or managing climate risk in orchards, join us at the FRUIT POLAND 2026 International Fruit Trade Fair – it's there that growers, processors, and technology suppliers will come together to share what they learned this past season.
Invitation
From organic apples to volatile harvest results overseas – this season shows just how important investments in quality, storage, and climate-risk resilience have become. Let's talk about it in person at the FRUIT POLAND 2026 International Fruit Trade Fair, where growers, processors, and technology suppliers from across the industry will come together. Save the date today and stay ahead of the trends shaping the fruit market.
FRUIT POLAND 2026Footnotes
[1] FreshPlaza — https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9877063/polish-organic-apple-sector-sees-continued-growth-as-volumes-expand/[2] FreshPlaza — https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9876844/u-s-table-grape-and-cranberry-crops-forecast-to-increase-as-apple-and-pear-volumes-fall/
This review was prepared by the Ptak Warsaw Expo editorial team.