Apple: the official fruit of the Polish presidency
The apple has become the official fruit of Poland's presidency of the EU Council. Poland is the largest producer of this fruit in Europe and the 4th largest in the world. Polish apples will be served to participants of events related to the presidency, including in Brussels.
Polish apples are recognized in the EU register as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and this distinction is awarded to regional products of the highest quality.
Production
There are 150 thousand hectares of apple orchards in Poland - the largest in the European Union. This translates into 80.5 thousand orchards and approx. 4.2 million tons of annual production of these fruits. In 2023, apple exports amounted to 817 thousand tons. Organic apples grow in 5.5 thousand hectares of orchards, which produce approx. 172 thousand tons of fruit. Organic orchards are located mainly in Mazovia. Approx. ha of orchards are currently switching to organic production, which "gives it fourth place in the EU after Germany (8,000 ha), Italy (8,800 ha) and France (17,700 ha)" - says the Polish Ministry of Agriculture.
Processing and export
50-70% of apples is processed depending on the season. The flagship apple products in Poland are concentrated and unconcentrated apple juices. Most of the concentrated juice is exported, of which about 40% to Germany. On the other hand, Polish NFC (not from concentrate) juice is exported mainly to Germany and Austria.
Apple- super fruit
The apple is rich in nutrients, including vitamins A and C, antioxidants, potassium, calcium, magnesium and fiber. These fruits aid digestion, strengthen immunity, improve skin health, protect the cardiovascular and nervous systems, and help prevent lifestyle diseases such as cancer, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, thanks to antioxidants found mainly in the skin.
Source: Farmer.pl