A total of 1.23 million tonnes of pumpkins was produced across the EU in 2025, with Poland harvesting 435,770 tonnes.
Polish pumpkin production is expected to rise this year, reaching an estimated 480,130 tonnes.
Almost all Polish pumpkins are sold domestically. Only around 1 percent of national production is exported.
Pumpkin exports generated nearly EUR 3.2 million in 2025, down from more than EUR 4 million in 2024. The main destinations were Italy, Germany and Slovakia.
Poland has recorded one of the fastest increases in pumpkin production in Europe over the past decade, the ministry said.
The area devoted to pumpkin cultivation grew from 1,100 hectares in 2014 to 9,300 hectares in 2024 and nearly 10,500 hectares in 2025. It is expected to reach nearly 12,000 hectares in 2026.
The country's pumpkin-growing tradition was highlighted on Sunday at the 14th annual Zaklęte w Dyni (Enchanted in Pumpkin) Festival in Nowa Huta, a district of the southern city of Kraków.
The festival transformed a local park into a pumpkin-themed mini-town, with craft demonstrations, educational and artistic workshops, family activities and pumpkin-based snacks.
Paweł Kalina, head of the events and promotion department at the Kraków-Nowa Huta Cultural Centre, which organises the festival, said at least 1,000 people took part.
Weronika Ciągała of the cultural centre said the festival helps preserve the area's agricultural heritage.
(sp/gs)
Source: PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Piotr Urbaniak