The market for organic apples is still developing, but not everything is smooth sailing for Polish organic exporters. Although some new markets are opening, others are still way too risky. Organic growers should be working together more, states Anna Gabler of AgroQueens.
According to Anna Gabler, CEO of AgroQueens, the Polish apple situation is still pretty grim: “The current status of the Polish apple is not met with optimistic feelings and in my opinion everybody who is in this business knows it. This is the very first year that a real crisis is upon the main part of the farmers. Fortunately our sales have been at a similar level as last season, but this can only be contributed to good quality, great service and steady relationships with our customers. Any Polish growers who aren’t developing and following the trend to produce high class apples and varieties are inevitably going to fall behind this year. Varieties like Ligo and Gloster are still cultivated by growers, but these are not exported at all, there simply is no demand for them. So these apples are mostly destined for processing.”
Gabler keeps an eye out for any new interesting markets. Recently Egypt was named as a potential big market, and Gabler agrees to a point: “A promising market that stepped up their orders this year with huge quantities is Africa, particularly Egypt. But for AgroQueens this market is not a solution if you compare the risks to the potential profits. In fact it makes no sense to export there. Customers from Africa are smarter than we seem to be, they’re going directly to farmers, passing by any big groups of producers and traders, resulting in the prices being as low as they can be. This way of trading is keeping the price at its current level, while we’d like the price to go up a little.”
The Polish apple sector seems to be divided according to Gabler: “Farmers are not loyal to any groups, they still want to be independent and are destroying market from the inside by themselves. It’s sad but true… The society of Polish apples growers is huge, yet there is no common language and no combined strategy. This sector needs a general ‘clean up’. On the other hand it’s definitely an improvement that the younger generation is following the trend to produce high class produce. People seem to forget Poland has a very high class of produce, we just need more promotion, marketing and entry to the West-European market. We are good in terms of production! Our fruits are reaching more continents thanks to the effort of real exporters. Farmers have to concentrate on the produce, packers on good sorting and we, the exporters, will plan the sales!”
This means AgroQueens still sees a lot of potential for growth in the organic apple sector, for one they are going for a solid marketing strategy: “We’re still developing our organic apples sales further. We’re going to promote them more and try to get new markets! People have to gain trust in the Polish organic produce. It is also a plan to make a move on the Polish domestic market. By next year, the Polish consumer has to eat Polish organic apples. The development of the local organic market is too slow. Organic is a way of thinking, it’s a certain lifestyle. It’s a bit concerning to see people only interested in the opportunity to earn some extra money and get big profits in the short term, rather than thinking ahead. Organic cultivation means a future for our children, therefore it can’t be too expensive, it has to be inclusive for everyone.”
Although organic apples have always been the focus of AgroQueens, the company is flirting with the idea to start selling other organic fruits and vegetables: “Spring is in the air so early this year. Who knows, maybe the frost comes again in April. We are preparing ourselves for the sales of soft fruits and vegetables like paprika, tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli. The demand for these products are high every year, so it brings opportunities. Also everything has to be organic!
With AgroQueens running for its third year, Gabler can look back with pride: “The yearly profits are three times higher than when we started three years ago. We are on the right path! Fruit Logistica was fantastic, our staff had a lot of work cut out for them. Unfortunately I couldn’t be there in person due to my pregnancy; I will expect my small princes within a few weeks, but I would like to thank our visitors, customers guests and my great staff for making it an unforgettable event!”
For more information:
Anna Gabler
AgroQueens
Tel: +48 502 842 132
Email: anna.gabler@agroqueens.com
www.agroqueens.com/en/