Poland: agricultural news week 29, 2021

Citronex - new investments in Poland

Citronex has started recruiting employees for the tomato greenhouse under construction in Ryczywół near Warsaw. 60 people are expected to be employed in this phase.

After the holidays, the production of organic tomatoes is to start in a large greenhouse in Ryczywół. The greenhouse covers an area of 22 hectares and the cost of its construction is estimated at around 60 million euros. Due to the finishing construction, the recruitment of employees begins.

Ultimately, the investment is to provide jobs to approximately three hundred people. It is also worth adding that Citronex is planning to build more greenhouses in Ryczywół. - The company intends to employ about three hundred people at the beginning. Then we want to start building more greenhouses. It will be 40 hectares in total - announced Artur Toronowski, the owner of the company at the end of March.

Source: SadyOgrody.pl

Poland EU leader in raspberry production

A significant proportion of Poland’s raspberry harvest is earmarked for export. In the years 2012-2020, fresh raspberry exports accounted for between 7% and 23% of the harvest and frozen raspberries between 41% and 73%. According to the National Support Centre for Agriculture (KOWR), most of Poland's raspberry crop is exported to Germany.

The biggest global raspberry producers are: Russia, Mexico, Serbia and the United States. Poland's share of world raspberry production stood at 9 percent in 2019. Within the European Union, Poland is the leader with a 51-percent share of production (2020 data). Other significant producers are Spain and Portugal.

Raspberries are the third berry fruit species farmed in Poland in terms of the scale of production, after strawberries and blackcurrants, with a 23-percent share of the berry harvest in 2020.

In terms of surface area of production, raspberries accounted for 27,000-30,000 hectares between 2012 and 2020. Central Statistical Office (GUS) data put the raspberry harvest in Poland, depending on weather conditions, between 76,000-78,000 tonnes in the barren years of 2015 and 2019 up to 129,000 tonnes in 2016. In 2020, 116,000 tonnes of raspberries were harvested.

Source: PAP

Strawberry season in Poland

This year's strawberry season was about 2 weeks later than the previous one. Cool and rainy weather delayed the ripening of the fruit and the most manufacturers rated it average. The offered prices covered the direct production costs, but it was not a season in which it was possible to earn good money for growing strawberries.
In terms of the supply and quality of the fruit, it is impossible to complain. At the end of the season, the weather was a bit messy, especially heat and rain. Last year, the harvest ended earlier due to heavy rainfall, downpours and even in some regions of crop flooding. This year hot and rainy weather was a problem at the end of the season. For some growers, the recent rains have even devastated plantations.
It was not a good season, especially for dessert strawberry growers. Exports were virtually non-existent, partly due to the pandemic. The fruit prices were rather low and even very low compared to previous years. In addition, there were other factors, such as rising production costs, especially labor, and increasing competition on the dessert fruit market, which does not make life easier for producers. Purchase price forecasts looked better than those offered to producers by the processing industry,which resulted from their concerned about growing international competition in the production of preserves (frozen foods, juices).
Some people look for an alternative and try to extend the season by growing strawberries that bear fruit repeatedly. For the time being, there is not much demand for these strawberries in Poland, but this direction will continue to develop. During this period, the supply of strawberries will certainly not be large, because we have blueberries, raspberries and other fruits. Every year, growers make efforts to make strawberries available to the consumer for a longer period of time.

Source: SadyOgrody.pl