Agricultural news week 4

Grupa Azoty works with Dutch soil scanners

As from this year, representatives of the Polish company Grupa Azoty (a major European producer of mineral fertilizers) working with farmers will be equipped with soil scanners.

Thanks to AgroCares scanners, the soil analysis report is available on the farmer's phone a few minutes after the examination, and the farmer receives precise recommendations regarding the mineral needs of each part of his land. For comparison, traditional soil testing involves taking and submitting soil samples to external laboratories, and the time to perform the analyzes and obtain the results is up to several weeks. Grupa Azoty's scanners enable the performance of this analytical procedure in the farmer's field with his participation.

- Last year Grupa Azoty performed over 1500 soil analyzes. Farmers were pleased as the company received more and more inquiries for soil scans. The system has proven itself and Grupa Azoty introduced this free service to their customers in all regions of Poland. The success of the pilot study confirms that innovations are an integral part of Grupa Azoty's operations, and thanks to our precision farming systems, only the necessary ingredients are released into the soil, which is in line with the idea of the European Green Deal. The group of farmers focused on the use of innovative precision farming tools is particularly satisfied with the service of quick soil analyzes, which conducts crops with a view to obtaining the highest possible yields, and for this it is necessary to know the basic physical and chemical parameters of the soil. Comprehensive fertilization consulting is one of the foundations of the company's operations.

Source: SadyOgrody.pl

In Poland, we like carrots

Carrots are one of the most important vegetables grown in Poland. The popularity is due to versatile use, taste, and health benefits. In Poland, carrots are used by the processing industry to produce juices and frozen foods and for direct consumption as an ingredient of many dishes and soups.

Carrot cultivation in Poland is on the area of about 22 000 hectares, which gives it the second place, after onions, in terms of the area of ​​field vegetables cultivation in Poland. Since carrot is a plant of a temperate climate, it is grown throughout the country, but most (70%) of the crops are in six voivodeships: Mazowieckie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Wielkopolskie, Łódzkie and Świętokrzyskie.

In 2020, 733 thousand tons of carrots were harvested (678 thousand tons of carrots in 2019), which puts Poland in the third position in the EU with 12% share of the EU carrots production according to the National Center for Agricultural Support.

The carrot harvest in Poland depends largely on the agrometeorological conditions prevailing during the growing season. In 2015-2020, the harvest of carrots in the country was varied and amounted to 678 - 827 thousand tons. In 2020, according to the estimates of the Central Statistical Office, 8 % more carrots have been harvested than in 2019.

In 2015-2019, the volume of Polish carrot exports ranged from 23 thousand tons up to 33 thousand tons. In the period of eleven months of 2020, as in the previous year, Polish entrepreneurs sold about 20 thousand tons of carrots. Carrots were exported almost entirely to the EU countries, mainly to the Slovak market (31% of the export volume), the Czech Republic (20%) and Romania (14%).

Closed HoReCa markets means problems for vege farmers

The closure of hotels and gastronomy in Poland related to the pandemic made producers of vegetables, especially onions and potatoes, despair, as they have no markets to sell their products. The Ministry of Agriculture is not planning any aid for this group of farmers.

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down the HoReCa industry. Thus, the demand for vegetables from this sector has dropped to zero. Therefore, an oversupply of these products arose on the market, which resulted in a drastic prices drop. Today, the farmer receives only PLN 0.2 for potatoes, and a maximum of PLN 0.3 for loose onions. Such rates do not even cover all production costs. Producers of onions and potatoes suffer the most, but also red beet and carrots, because prices have dropped drastically. The situation is also difficult at all fruit and vegetable markets in Poland. For example in Wrocław, where farmers cannot sell three tons of potatoes for a week.

AgroUnia's protests in this matter have so far been unsuccessful. The organization argues that the government has given away billions złoty’s to entrepreneurs as closed hotels or restaurants can apply for support. And farmers, whose sales markets have suddenly closed, still cannot count on any help.

Source: TopAgrar

Production of eggs in Poland decreased in 2020

For the first time since 2012, Polish egg production has fallen. The production of table eggs in 2020 was 553.000 tons, experts from the European Commission estimate. That is 0.4% less than in 2019. A further decrease of 1.4% is expected for 2021. This is reported by the German market research agency Markinfo Eier & Geflügel (MEG).

The polish egg industry is dependent on export. Due to Corona, the need in sales channels for eggs, especially for consumption outside of the home, was limited. The prices therefore were under pressure as well, despite the decline in production. The Netherlands remained the main importer of Polish eggs in 2020, followed by Germany. However, export dropped with respectively 2% and 20%.

Source: Polen produceert en exporteert minder eieren - Food & Agribusiness