Poland steps up high-end apple exports: report

Poland ranks as the biggest producer of apples in the European Union and is stepping up its exports of the high-quality varieties of the fruit, according to a new report. 

Poland ranks as the biggest producer of apples in the European Union and is exporting more of the high-end varieties of the fruit, according to a new report published on Monday.

PAP/Albert Zawada

The study, issued by the Fruit Union (UO), an industry organisation, found that Polish farmers grew around 3.8 million tonnes of apples in the 2020/2021 season, making Poland the leader in the EU and one of the biggest apple producers in the world, the state PAP news agency reported on Monday. 

According to data from Poland's Central Statistical Office (GUS), in the first quarter of 2021, Poland’s main export destination was Belarus, which bought some 50,000 tonnes of the fruit.

Meanwhile, over 40,000 tonnes of Polish apples were sold to second-placed Egypt, while Romania came third, buying around 21,000 tonnes.

Germany was the fourth-largest market for Polish apples, followed by the Netherlands and Kazakhstan, the report showed.

"The production of high-end apples is growing, and we are exporting more to countries with higher quality demands and prices,” said the Fruit Union’s CEO Arkadiusz Gaik.  

These include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, according to the report.

In addition, demand for Polish apples is rising in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh as well as in West Africa, with prospects also positive in Senegal, Morocco, Israel, Colombia and Costa Rica, the PAP news agency reported.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP