The Polish apple season is heading towards its close, and the last stretch has seen a dip in demand, says Mateusz Wajnert, head of sales for Polish apple exporter Galster: "The first half of the Polish apple season was very good for our company. Between September and early February, we supplied the largest number of Royal Gala apples in our company's history. Unfortunately, since mid-February, we've seen demand weakening. The earlier harvest in the Southern Hemisphere, followed by the conflict in the Middle East, is not helping the current situation."
The Polish exporter had its focus on a different continent as the long-distance markets became more unreliable as time went on, Wajnert explains. "On the other hand, Galster focused more on the European market in the second half of the season. However, apple supplies held in Western European cold stores are not helping us here either. We'll manage, but beforehand this season had the potential to be very good and will likely end on just a 'decent' note."
Despite abundant apple stocks in Europe, the last stretch of the season will still mostly focus on the European markets, Wajnert explains: "Currently, we're no longer shipping apples to distant markets; this has stopped almost entirely. We're focusing on both the domestic and European markets, as we do every season around this time. Of the year. However, we're constantly inquiring about the progress of our partners, who loaded their goods with us before the logistical problems commenced. The problems meet them while being transported via sea. It's clear that it's costing them a lot of work to reorganize their container logistics. The situation is constantly evolving."
Next up for Galster is the sweet cherry season. "Traditionally, we want to end the season in late May or early June. This gives us time to service our machines after the apple season and prepare for the sweet cherry season, which requires a lot of commitment. We're planting several more hectares of sweet cherry trees and, in the near future, we want to cover the planting as well, along with the rest of our acreage. When it comes to apples, we're investing in relationships, organizing meetings with fruit growers. Together, we're deepening our agronomic knowledge and strengthening our bonds," Wajnert concludes.
For more information:
Mateusz Wajnert
Galster Sp. z o.o.
Tel: +48 66 00 42 551
Email: [email protected]
www.galster.pl
