Export of Polish fruit and vegetables

Champignons

Polish agricultural producers are among the best specialists in the production of champignons, for which we are the leading EU producer and exporter. In the years 2016–2020, the production volume of champignons increased from 320 thousand tonnes to 345 thousand tonnes, which resulted from the continued domestic and foreign demand. In 2020, 202 thousand tonnes of champignons were exported – almost 60% of the domestic production of these mushrooms. More than 96% of export of Polish champignons was directed to the EU countries, mainly the United Kingdom (51 thousand tonnes), Germany (50 thousand tonnes) and France (30 thousand tonnes). Among the non-EU countries, the largest customers of champignons were Norway (3.9 thousand tonnes), Kazakhstan (1.2 thousand tonnes) and Belarus (1.1 thousand tonnes).

Blueberry

The majority of the production are dessert fruit. The production of blueberry in Poland is characterised by a dynamic growth. In the years 2018–2020, the domestic harvest of blueberry increased from 25 thousand tonnes to more than 38 thousand tonnes. The dynamic growth of the production of blueberry results from the growing interest on the part of domestic consumers and the growing export demand. Production surpluses of blueberry are exported to foreign markets and the subject of sale are mainly dessert fruit which are the dominant type of the domestic production. The result of the increased foreign sales is, inter alia, the increased interest in Polish blueberries, especially in the European Union countries, where more than 90% of the volume of exported fruit is sent. In 2020, Poland exported 15.4 thousand tonnes of blueberries, of which 7.2 thousand tonnes to the German market, 2.4 thousand tonnes to the United Kingdom and 1.2 thousand tonnes to the Netherlands and Sweden.

Apples

Apples are the dominant type of production of fruit in Poland. Poland is the largest producer of apples in the European Union and the third largest producer of apples in the world. The largest global competitors of Poland in the production of these fruit are: China, the United States and Turkey, and among the EU countries – Italy and France.

In the years 2015–2020, the harvest of apples in Poland (according to the Statistics Poland), depending on the yields, varied between 2.4 and 4.0 million tonnes. The Polish fruit-growing industry is characterized by a large diversity of apple varieties.

The Polish orchards are dominated by:

• Idared,
• Szampion,
• Jonagold,
• Ligol,
• Gloster,
• Golden Delicious,
• Gala and
• Cortland.

Polish apples are characterized by an excellent, unique taste and the highest quality, as well as by the durability in trade. Poland is the leading exporter of apples in the world. In 2020, Poland exported 660 thousand tonnes of apples for EUR 303 million. The Polish fruit growers have a modern storage base, so they can carry out deliveries virtually all yelong. In 2020, the export of apples accounted for more than 65% of the export of Polish fresh fruit and more than 19% of the domestic production of apples. Polish apples were present in the markets of 64 countries. The largest customer of Polish apples was the European Union, to which more than 50% of the total export volume of these fruit was sent. In 2020, the geographical structure of the Polish export of apples, was dominated by Belarus (122 thousand tonnes) and Germany (76 thousand tonnes).

Concentrated apple juice

The well-developed and modern processing industry and the relevant raw material are conducive to increasing the production of fruit juices, which are currently an important product of the national fruit processing industry – they are ranked second in the production structure, just after frozen products. Polish juices are recognized by foreign consumers. The dominant position with the share of 76% in the total export of juices is occupied by apple juice. In the last five years, the export volume of Polish apple juice has in-creased from 387 thousand tonnes to 465 thousand tonnes. The Polish export hit is concentrated apple juice, for which Poland is the second producer and exporter in the world, after China. Since 2012, the export of concentrated apple juice from Poland has exceeded 200 thousand tonnes. In 2020, 210 thousand tonnes of apple concentrate were placed in 48 foreign markets. Concentrated apple juice was mainly exported to the EU countries (195 thousand tonnes), mainly to Germany (101 thousand tonnes), the United Kingdom (32 thousand tonnes) and the Netherlands (25 thousand tonnes). Among the non-EU countries, the largest customer of concentrated apple juice from Poland was the United States (6 thousand tonnes).

Frozen fruit and vegetables

Polish fruit and vegetable processing companies obtained a well- established position in the world market thanks to modern technologies, high quality and strong and well-known
brands, created both in the domestic market and in foreign markets. According to the IAFE-NRI estimates, the total domestic production of frozen fruit and vegetables in 2020 was nearly 1 million tonnes. Frozen vegetables and fruit are characterized by a rich, natural taste which has been appreciated by foreign consumers for many years. The Polish fruit and vegetable industry supplies both the saturated markets of the Western countries and the developing markets of non-EU countries. In 2020, national exporters sold 761 thousand tonnes of frozen fruit and vegetables to foreign markets, 80% of which went to the EU countries. The taste of Polish frozen food products could be enjoyed by consumers in almost 80 countries of the world.

Source: Polish Food Autumn 2021