The Russian ban on EU agricultural products has served as a wake-up call for Poland’s fruit and vegetable producers and will accelerate the industry’s push into new markets, according to Polish agriculture minister Marek Sawicki.
Speaking exclusively to Eurofruit, Sawicki noted that market diversification efforts had got underway some time ago and three-quarters of exports now end up in the European Union.
“Change is coming, albeit slowly,” he said. “It’s no longer the case that Poland competes solely on price. There is a growing recognition of Polish food in many markets and our reputation as a supplier of quality produce is gradually building.”
Sawicki pointed out that many companies have come to view Russia as an unpredictable and unstable market and this is fuelling interest in other, sometimes more distant markets.
Acknowledging that the country still has a lot of work to do to properly organise its producer base, he said the government is encouraging the creation of more producer organisations and cooperatives.
Polish fruit exports totalled €1.161bn in 2013, up from €1.064bn in the previous year, while vegetables reached €952m, up from €864m in 2012.
The full interview can be read in the January 2015 issue of Eurofruit Magazine.
