Polish potato and vegetable growers go on strike in Warsaw

Polish potato and vegetable growers, have taken to the streets in Warsaw today (23 May), after the government failed to meet their demands, following two months of negotiations. The Potato and Vegetable Growers Union (Unia Warzywno Ziemniaczana) made a call-out to growers to attend the march through the capital, ending at the office of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The Union had said that they expected around 2,000 producers to attend.

The union sent the Prime Minister a letter with 23 points they would like to have addressed, among which are that: Polish products must always be at the front of the store, the country will close its borders with Ukraine and that the road will be opened for exports to Russia and Europe.

However, is it possible that one of the problems might be that Polish potato growers are becoming victims of having modernised their production, without modernising their business practices?

"The average yield is growing year on year, with more professional machinery, planting practices and new varieties, and growers just keep on growing more without thinking of who they are growing for. I think that growers need to look more to working by contract, for around 50% of their annual production, and then they still have the room with the remaining stock to gain some extra profits. It seems like a lot of growers here are afraid of doing that, in the hopes that they might get higher profits. But in a time when production continues to increase and demand is decreasing, having income security might be a better way to go," said Lukasz Ostrowicz from Bugaj Sp.

The months of April, May and June are when most potato imports occur. Throughout the year, Polish potatoes dominate the shelves, making up around 80% of the supply.

"Growers are complaining about imports from other countries, but this usually happens towards the end of the season, when quality issues mean that most of the Polish potatoes left in storage are not suitable for retail. This is why we are forced to import from countries like Germany and France. If producers would like to eliminate imports, they need to invest in better long term storage facilities so they have enough good quality potatoes to meet the year round demand," Lukasz continued.

"There are many factors causing the current situation and I think that we shouldn't forget that it is not only Polish potatoes and vegetables that are having a difficult year, this is also the case throughout the major European producing countries such as the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany."

For more information:
Łukasz Ostrowicz
BUGAJ Sp. z o.o.
Tel: +48 698 678 536
Email: lukasz.ostrowicz@fhbugaj.pl
www.fhbugaj.pl