Despite difficulties, one Polish apple grower is expecting a higher yield than last year, says Krystian Soszka, CEO of Polish apple exporter Idealsad: "The Polish apple cultivation season was challenging and full of difficulties. We faced several nights with frost, numerous hailstorms, as well as significant drought, which had a strong impact this year. Despite this, we estimate our yields to be 10 to 20 per cent higher, depending on the region of Poland. After last year's frosts, the trees rested and delivered a much better crop this season."
© Nick Peters | FreshPlaza.com
For Idealsad, half of their produce is being exported, to markets both in and outside Europe, Soszka states. "About 50 per cent of our apples go to a major retail chain in Poland, while the remaining 50% is directed to our regular customers in countries such as Spain, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands, and the UK. Outside the European territory, we mainly export to Colombia, India, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia. This season, we also started selling to Egypt, where there is a noticeable increase in demand for Polish apples."
One variety is a clear winner for Idealsad, and interest in it is booming according to Soszka: "Gala remains our number one variety, especially all striped sports. Interest in this variety is huge; practically our entire production can be sorted for Gala due to the high number of orders. Golden and Red Delicious are also selling well. In fact, every variety finds its buyers, with the final price being the main factor."
"The main challenge is the price. This season started with quite low prices for basic varieties sold to supermarket chains, and raising these prices will be difficult, as working with retailers is never easy. Export prices are definitely better, and the quality of apples this season is also much higher. We hope that, with such a large scale of sales, prices will gradually increase in the coming weeks," Soszka concludes.
For more information:
Krystian Soszka
Idealsad
Tel: +48 666 858 275
[email protected]
www.idealsad.pl
