Demand for Polish apples is intense

The Polish apples performed really well overseas over the course of four months, says Emilia Lewandowska, office manager for Polish fruit exporter Fruit-Group: “We had very good autumn regarding our sold quantities of apples, on both the local market as well as for export. Our overseas clients were interested in Polish apples, and as a result we had very good four months of export for overseas markets. Indian clients had very good experiences with Polish apples in the last season 2022/2023, and that’s why cooperation between Indian importers and Polish exporters was continued. The trade from New Year’s on was also intensive, as we started promotional programmes with our clients from Europe and the domestic market.”

The current situation is more difficult when exporting apples overseas, as the situation surrounding the Red Sea is truly making an impact, FreshPlaza notes.  Lewandowska says: “At this point in the season, demand for Polish apples is intense and so we’re not getting bored. On the other hand we are waiting for information regarding the Suez Canal, after armed operations in that area we’re waiting for the situation to return to a stable one. Right now, we’ve changed the transport route, which means we avoid the area completely. It’s a major challenge for us, but it’s not up to us to solve. It’s a political one, but we hope for a resolution as soon as possible.”

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The South American market is becoming a strong option for Polish apples exporters, Lewandowska emphasizes: “We’ve had experience with the South American markets over the past three seasons. The connection is good in that direction. However, the cooperation is still rather fresh and it’s developing at a steady pace year-by-year. We’re mostly sending striped Gala apples with an intensive color to the South American countries.”