The professor, who is an authority in the field of horticulture, admitted that the embargo imposed by Russia will result in losses for many apple producers in the country, with the most affected being those who produce poor quality goods. "For years, warnings have been issued about the need to improve the quality of the fruit, but many apple producers who focused entirely on exporting to Russia felt that there was no need for change, saying it was too costly," explained Makosz.
According to Makosz, the Russian restrictions have resulted not only in increasing awareness about the need to make improvements; they have also led to a greater integration of growers.
Poland's apple production this year will amount to at least 3.5 million tonnes (compared to approx. 3.0 million tonnes last year). In the EU markets, a significant proportion of apples cannot find destinations.
In view of the high production of apples in many countries of Western Europe, Poland will consider it a big success if it manages to export 300 - 350 thousand tonnes, believes Makosz. In his view, part of the production will have to be processed into biogas or cider.
The situation is much worse for producers supplying apple processors, who will probably receive about 60 percent of the production this year). Until mid-September, purchase price of industrial apples ranged from 3 to 5 cents/kg, while in previous years they ranged from 12 to 15 cents.
