Although apple volumes in Poland are expected to be lower, Dominik Woźniak, Trade CEO for Polish apple exporter Rajpol, is satisfied with the quality of this year’s crop: “In Poland, the total apple harvest seems to be approximately 11 per cent lower when compared to the previous season. That being said, the most popular varieties for export seems to be at a similar level. For our own orchards, we’re rather happy with the harvest that Rajpol will be able to export, as the quality of these apples look rather promising.”
Challenges with the labor are still present, but Woźniak expects this is not easily solved within a season and requires solutions with a vision on the longer term. “Not everything is smooth, as a lack of available workers seems to be the biggest challenges upon us this season. This won’t remain limited to this year, this challenge will also be present in the upcoming years. This means we need a lasting solution, like automatization of the various processes.”
Rajpol has hopes to increase its market share in Europe, while simultaneously entering a couple of new markets in Asia, Woźniak explains: “For us at Rajpol, there’ll be a focus on both the Polish domestic market, which is a huge one, as well as the European market. For the latter, there’ll be special attention on Central-East Europe. We’ll also export our apples overseas, as we really believe in both India and South America as potential strong markets for us. In terms of growth, we hope to be able to send more shipments to our European clients and appear on some new Asian markets, such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.”
Woźniak feels they’ve been able to show what they can do in the European markets last year, and is confident in growth this year. “This year European production looks good for us. The lower production of apples in Italy and France last year allowed us to prove that the required quality, consistency and quantity is a standard that Polish apples can deliver.”
Rajpol will be exhibiting during Fruit Attraction in Madrid. You can find their booth in Hall 8, stand 8C18.
For more information:
Aleksandra Ośko-Woźniak
Rajpol Sp. Z o.o.
Tel: +48 48 661 15 83
Email: [email protected]
www.rajpol.com.pl