les, Poland is putting itself more and more in the market. Daniel Pastusiak, of Daniel’s Produce Ltd, started his company one year ago and works for the Polish growers. His job is to do the marketing for the apples. He is trying to connect all of the growers and to have one voice coming from the whole of Poland. He explains what is happening on the Polish apple market. “The Polish apple market is growing, but the main problem that Polish apple growers have, is that they don’t have a proper marketing plan yet. Polish apples have very competitive prices all over Europe and around the world. Five years ago, the European Union invested a lot in apple growers, they got a lot of subsidies to buy machines and other supplies. Due to the innovations from the growers, the market is looking very good.
Second world producer
Daniel explains how the Polish apple export works. He tries to sell the products in different parts of Russia and Europe. “Most of our apples go to Russia. We have a big commitment with the Russians. The apples don’t have to be high graded like they are in the rest of the world. Being in the Russian market is easier for us as the demand for quality isn't as high as it is in other parts of the world. If the Russians think you have a good product, you can sell it very easily. We mainly export to former Soviet Union countries, such as Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus.” For the future, Daniel is thinking about the United Arab Emirates, India and China. “We want to export to China and maybe in the future to India as well. China is a big market and they keep most of their own apples for the local market. Poland is the second largest producer of apples in the world, after China. We also want to expand our products to different markets, such as northern Africa and maybe Ecuador.
No second class
Poland used to have a reputation for having second class apples. Daniel explains why this isn’t the case any more. “It is really important to ensure Europe doesn’t classify our products as second class. The only problem is the marketing, but we are working on that. France is a great example for us when it comes to marketing for apples. Their products are always well presented and we can learn from them. They have done this for 25 years and our growers are now on their fifth year, so hopefully we can catch up with them. People always think that Poland has second class apples, but that is not true. It has changed a lot, and that is what I’m trying to explain to the customers. Already big names like Tesco are using Polish apples right now and they are selling very well. The variety, Royal Gala, is doing really well. Growers can supply apples 12 months a year, so we can keep up the quality and it is no problem to supply all year long.
Specialised
Poland produces a lot for the food industry. Daniel continues, “It is not only apples Poland produces, but also mushrooms, potatoes, onions and carrots as well. Poland is producing the most apples in Europe, but now many growers who have been subsidised by the European Union, have new trucks, new supplies and new machinery. If they had 100 hectares of land, they used to grow a variety of things such as onions, apples, carrots or potatoes but now many only specialise in one product. Every year there are more advantages to Polish production. We also have strawberries and the most blueberry producers in Europe. There are many things happening in Poland right now.”
Developing
Daniel explains about the developments in Poland. “The Polish apple market has been through big developments the last few years. More people are going for the Royal Gala variety and the demand for fresh apples is high. We are trying not to focus on one market, because it is not the right thing to do. We need to look at all types of markets. We have loads of varieties growing in Poland right now, but varieties such as Granny Smith, Cripps Pink and Pink Lady can’t grow in Poland because of the climate. Jona Prince, Royal Gala and Red Prince apples are varieties we didn’t have five years ago, but nowadays they are growing very well. We also grow different varieties of apples for processing. There is a big industry for processed apples, 50% of apple juice is made from Polish apples.”
