Poland: land of temperate climate fruits

Poland – the leading producer of fruit in the EU Poland is an important producer of fruit in the EU. In terms of the harvest volume of all types of fruit, Poles are ranked fourth – with the share of 8% in the EU production – after Spain, Italy and France, i.e. the countries where citrus and grapes are mostly cultivated. In Poland, nearly 20% of the EU production of fruit characteristic of the temperate climate is cultivated. In 2022, based on the Statistics Poland estimate, it is estimated that the domestic fruit harvest reached nearly 5,3 tonnes.

In 2021, the domestic production of cherries accounted for 56% in the EU production of these fruit, while giving Poland the fourth place after Russia, Ukraine and Turkey in the volume of production of these fruit in the world. The domestic cultivation of cherries in 2022 amounted to 1,83 thousand tonnes and was by 10% higher than in 2021.

In 2021, Poland was the fourth global producer of raspberries, after Russia, Mexico and Serbia. The domestic production accounted for nearly half of the volume of these fruit produced in the EU. Statistics Poland estimated that the production of raspberries in Poland in 2022 increased by 1%, to 105 thousand tonnes.

In 2021, Poland, after Russia, was ranked second in the global production of currants. At the same time, the domestic production of these fruit had the share of 74% in the Union production. In 2022, the production of currants in Poland was estimated at 142 thousand tonnes, i.e. by 6% less than the year before.

In 2022, the production of gooseberries remained at the level of the previous year and amounted to about 9.8 thousand tonnes.

The strawberry harvest in 2022 was estimated at about 180 thousand tonnes, when compared to 163 thousand tonnes the year before. The increase in the strawberry yield, despite soil drought, which lasted for a significant part of the growing season, was possible thanks to the more and more commonly used irrigation systems on plantations. Poland is also ranked second after Spain in the EU strawberry harvest (with the share of 14%) and tenth in the world.

Blueberry and chokeberry

The production of northern highbush blueberries in 2022 amounted to about 64 thousand tonnes, i.e. by 15% more than in 2021 (55 thousand tonnes). In 2021, Poland was ranked second after Spain in the production of northern highbush blueberries the EU (with the share of 32%) and seventh in the world (after the USA, Peru, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Spain).

In 2022, the harvest of the remaining fruit from fruit bushes and berry plantations in orchards was estimated at the level of 88 thousand tonnes and was slightly lower when compared to the production in 2021. The largest share in this group of fruit is that of chokeberry. Poland is a leading global producer of chokeberry – a plant very well adapted to the temperate climate conditions. The chokeberry cultivation area in Poland in the last three years stood at 14–15 thousand ha, and the harvest obtained, depending on the crop abundance, ranged from 55 thousand tonnes to 66 thousand tonnes. The popularity of chokeberry cultivation results from the growing demand mainly for juices made of these fruit.