A large apple crop this season meant Poland's exporters were always going to have to work hard to match sales from previous years. But large apple crops throughout Europe and a ban on shipments to Russia meant that the situation was going to be even tougher to manage. But, while there is still plenty of fruit left in storage, Poland's growers have found ways to chip away at this year's mountain of fruit.“We're trying to sell apples to Canada and to Middle Eastern countries,” said Piotr Porosa of GPW Bober. “But I think we still have about 80,000 tons of apples left in cooling chambers.” The situation for pears is much the same since the Russian market has been the top destination for Polish pears in the past. Instead, Porosa said they've focused on the local market and exporting to surrounding countries.
“We don't really have good business relationships with anyone in countries like China or Brazil,” said Porosa. “We'd like to make those contacts, but we can't get a program for those countries this year.” There have been rumours that the Chinese market could begin accepting Polish apples in a few years, but, despite not being an option for this year, Porosa noted that they'd still have to see if Chinese consumers would take to the varieties grown in Poland.With an abundance of apples and limited export options abroad, domestic prices have been about 25 percent lower than those from the previous season, said Porosa. Because apples and pears aren't GPW Bober's main commodities, the firm hasn't suffered a bad year.
For more information:
Piotr Porosa
GPW Bober
piotr@gpw.net.pl
www.gpw.net.pl