Poland, brief agricultural news week 14, 2019
What happened in Poland last week? A brief overview of agricultural news.
NO GMO Label in dairy sector
The Polish Chamber of Milk has developed a standard/label "NO GMO". The aim is to promote the best practices in the production of GMO-free dairy products. To be able to put a "NO GMO" label on the packaging of a food product, a given company has to implement and apply the rules set out in individual catalogs of requirements. The standard covers the whole chain of dairy products, from feed production, nutrition on the farm, dairy processors to producers of ingredients and additives, trade in dairy products or feed. In order to obtain the label, the company has to be checked by the certification body TÜV SÜD Polska. The introduction of the above-mentioned standard by the Polish Chamber of Milk may increase consumers’ confidence in milk that is not organic but does not contain GMOs. This is a form of support for the dairy industry in the fight for a consumer trust.
Online HoReCa orders in Poland
According to the report, "You Click and you eat. Report on the food supply market in Poland " prepared by PizzaPortal.pl the catering industry in Poland is growing by over 6%. annually and is currently valued at nearly PLN 30 billion, of which deliveries amount to PLN 6 billion. The online orders reached almost PLN 0.9 billion and grows at a rate of up to 50%. annually. The report shows that 86% of internet users declare that they order food to their home or workplace. It is estimated that in 5 years nearly half of food will be ordered via internet, and the value of the total supply market in Poland will amount to PLN 11.8 billion. Consumers throughout Poland order the most often pizza (61 per cent), American dishes (22 per cent) and Asian cuisine (8 per cent).
Lidl Polska launches online sales
On April 5, Lidl Polska, one of the leading retailers in Poland, launches online sales of non-food products. Customers will be able to buy non-food products, among others textiles, kitchen accessories, home appliances, electronic equipment and tools. The store will offer private label products - including Parkside tools, Esmara women's textiles, Crivit sportswear, Silvercrest household appliances and manufacturers' brands. The product offer will change three times a week. Previously implemented e-commerce projects by Lidl are: the platform for booking alcohol beverages WinnicaLidla.pl, the platform for booking trips Lidl-podroze.pl and the mobile application Lidl Plus.
Pessimism among farmers
Although being less pessimistic than previous year, in the farmer’s opinion, the economic situation in farms is assesed unfavorable, seen from the perspective of profitability of production and demand for products. This is the outcome of a survey of the economic situation on farms conducted by the Polish Statistical Office done in the second half of 2018. The pessimism varies among the type of production; farms orientated at crop production are the least pessimistic, whereas farms active in animal production are more pessimistic. Most negative views are given by producers of fruit trees and bushes (following very low market prices last year) and pigfarmers (who are suffering from negative aspects of the presence of ASF as well as increased costs of inputs). Pessimism is also larger amongst small individual farmers, farms with an area of more than 30 hectares and farms organised as an legal entity were more positive.
The outcome of the subsidy also showed that subsidies are considered the most important factor favoring the development, whereas low market prices and unfavorable weather circumstances are seen as negative factors. With respect to the latter aspects, last week again (smaller) protests took place in Warsaw, emphasizing i.e. the need for higher marketprices (especially in fruitproduction), labeling and minima of 50% Polish products in retailshelves and critisizing cheap imports from Ukraine and other EU counties.