Before Russia imposed its embargo on apples from Poland, this market accounted for more than 50 percent of all Polish exports. One-fifth of the entire Polish production went there. Since last year's harvest was record-breaking and the domestic market was saturated, growers were forced to look for new destinations. The biggest potential is in Asia and the Chinese market, which opened up to Polish apples at the end of last year.
The export structure of Polish apples is changing dynamically. The country is selling the fruit to countries it would not have imagined a few years ago. This is due to the fact that it is better prepared to meet the needs of the new, more demanding markets, says Waldemar Żółcik, President of the Association of Polish Fruit and Vegetable Distributors "Fruit Union".
Apple production in Poland is growing rapidly. According to CSO estimates, last year's harvest was record-breaking and reached 3.6 million tonnes (+14%), while growers estimate that this result was even better and exceeded 4 million tonnes. This puts Poland at the forefront of the EU and in the forefront of the world's largest producers. Agricultural market experts predict that apple production will continue to grow in the coming years. With a saturated domestic market (in Poland the consumption of apples is about 14 kg per capita per year and remains stable), growers have had to look for new export destinations.
According to FAMMU/FAPA data, demand for apples in the 2015/2016 season was 1.8 million tonnes, of which almost 1 million tonnes were exported. More than half, or 2.2 million tonnes, were transformed by the processing industry. Results for the 2016/2017 season are expected to be close to those levels, with exports that may grow to 1.1 million tonnes.
Before the introduction of the embargo in 2014, Polish export shrank, given the impossibility of selling apples directly to Russia. Fruits from Poland were still sold on that market, but labelled as originating in Belarus. In any case, domestic producers started looking in new directions, with the greatest import potential being observed in Asian markets and China.
"We are fighting for a place in the Chinese market, which has recently opened up, and in the Vietnamese market. Poland is a producer of very good fruit and the world's largest grower of dessert apples. We are very active, exhibiting at fairs and meeting with clients and businesses. We try to convince people that it is good to buy Polish apples and trade with them," explains Waldemar Żółcik.
In November last year, the Chinese market was opened and the first batch was shipped. Estimates say that by 2022, Polish producers could be marketing up to 100,000 tonnes of apples in China every year.
The market in question, however, has very strict requirements, and domestic exporters estimate that full compliance can take up to two years. Investments are needed in modern storage and sorting facilities. Since the transport of fruit from Poland to China takes an average of about two months, only robust fruit varieties are exported to this market and other geographically distant markets.
"The number of countries to which we export our fruit is really very high and growing. Customers appreciate Polish apples and above all, their health benefits. Also, it also turns out that apples are produced more naturally and therefore have a better taste and a real aroma that can simply not be imitated," assures Waldemar Żółcik.
In February, supermarket chains in Dubai and Abu Dhabi launched a promotional campaign with tastings of Polish bicolour apples. This is another potential market for Polish producers.
"The purpose of our promotional campaign is to convince our customers that European and Polish bicolour apples are of the highest quality and worth trying. Consumers have so far believed in the myth that only whole red fruits are sweet. We are managing to make this believe a thing of the past," explains Waldemar Żółcik.
Source: bankier.pl
