European blueberry sales steadily growing

The cultivation, trade and sales of soft fruit are growing in large parts of Europe. Especially blueberries can boast an increasing popularity. Poland is a very important player on the blueberry market. A seminar in Hegelsom on 8 June illuminated the developments, possibilities and opportunities in the Polish soft fruit sector.

Annually, Poland produces about 15,000 tonnes of blueberries. Of that, 5,500 tonnes are meant for the domestic market, 1,000 tonnes is for processing, and 13,000 tonnes is for export. In addition, 4,500 tonnes of blueberries are imported. These figures were mentioned by Arne Bac, sector manager fruit and ornamental plant cultivation for the Dutch Rabobank, during the Seminar Soft Fruit in Poland; opportunities and threats for the Netherlands in Hegelsom on 8 June.

RVO organised a seminar about the developments in the Polish soft fruit sector on 8 June, in cooperation with the Rabobank and the Dutch embassy in Warsaw. During the seminar, they talked about the strengths and weaknesses of the Polish soft fruit production, and the threats and opportunities for the Netherlands.

Cultivation, trade and sales were topics of discussion during the seminar. Although soft fruit includes a wide range of fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants, emphasis was on the cultivation and trade of blueberries and the opportunities and possibilities for Dutch entrepreneurs. One of the options is to grow them yourself in Poland. Two speakers, Ad Hurks and Ronald Veens, shared their practical experiences with the cultivation in Poland.

Climate is an important factor in the success of the cultivation. Poland has a continental climate, which means severe winters and often dry and warm summers. Besides, springtime frosts can influence the success of the cultivation. Polish growers anticipate this by investing in protected cultivations. The availability of water is also playing an increasing role, according to agricultural council Martijn Homan. Poland does not have large water sources at its disposal, and is now, because of climate change, also affected by long periods of drought more often.

In general, the production of blueberries in Poland is doing well. Cost price is low, the product is of good quality, investments are made into new plantings and there’s more room for domestic consumption. On the other hand, there’s limited flexibility, fragmented production and increasing labour costs due to decreasing unemployment. Because many Polish people are working in Western Europe, the Polish cultivation increasingly employs Ukrainians, among others. According to figures from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland issued more than 1.2 million visas to Ukrainian migrants, of which half were residence and work permits. The number of Ukrainians in the Polish grey zone is unknown, but estimates indicate that Ukrainians represent about 95 per cent of all foreigners working in Poland.

Another possibility for Dutch entrepreneurs is buying blueberries in Poland, as an addition to their own range, for example, and packing and trading these. An example of this is the company Moor Berries, which supplies blueberries to Dutch retail year-round. Poland is one of the suppliers, according to Ronald Veens on behalf of Moor Berries. It’s active in a number of countries in the world, which follow each other in production. Besides the Netherlands and Poland, these are South Africa, Chile, Morocco, Spain and the Balkans.

The experiences Veens has had with the Polish growers are good. He has been active for 15 years in the country, and concludes that a long-term cooperation and open and transparent communications with Polish growers are success factors. Growers score less high on flexibility, and not every grower in Poland manages to meet requirements such as Global GAP, or demands in the field of social compliance. These are matters retail companies increasingly ask for.

During the seminar, the speakers all concluded that sales of soft fruit, and blueberries in particular, is increasing. Rabobank exemplified this by means of a graph. 

Especially the consumption in the UK is growing considerably. The country is the largest buyer of blueberries from Poland. Nearly 3,500 tonnes was sent to the UK from Poland last year. Germany is the second-largest buyer with 1,900 tonnes, and the Netherlands buys almost 1,500 tonnes of blueberries from Poland. 

The increasing popularity of blueberries also translates into an increase of the cultivation area in the Netherlands. In 2016, that was almost 800 hectares and has been steadily growing since 2010. Supermarkets also want to do more with blueberries, Veens said. Retail is very much interested in promotional actions with blueberries, but on the condition that there’s plenty of supply of equal quality. The quantity asked for is difficult to realise because of the size of the Dutch area, according to Veens. A country such as Poland becomes more interesting in that case. 

Source: Agroberichten Buitenland