Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Rise in production and exports of Polish fruit and veg
According to data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland (CSO), the country's fruit production in 2016 amounted to 4.5 million tonnes, compared to 4.1 million tonnes in the previous year. Increases were recorded by almost all fruits, except for strawberries, and the most notable increase, compared to the poor 2015, was achieved by raspberries.
Meanwhile, the vegetable production increased from 3.8 to 4.4 million tonnes, with the greatest increases being recorded by cabbage, root vegetables and cucumbers. It is estimated that the production of greenhouse vegetables rose from 1 to 1.02 million tonnes. The increase in the harvest of fruits and vegetables in Poland was accompanied by a decline in production in most EU countries. In the EU, the most notable decreases were recorded by industrial tomatoes and peaches and nectarines. There was also a drop in the production of apples and pears, but the citrus fruit harvest will be greater in the 2016/17 season.
The increase in the harvest volumes was accompanied by a rise in the total production of processed fruit and vegetable products, from 2.32 million tonnes in the 2015/16 season to 2.40 million tonnes in the 2016/17 campaign. The total production of juices, nectars and fruit drinks from fruit and vegetables has increased from 1.75 to a record 1.83 million tonnes.
The volume of exports of fresh fruits and vegetables in the 2016/17 season may reach 1.76 million tonnes, compared to 1.67 million tonnes in the previous campaign. The higher foreign sales affect almost all kinds of vegetables, including cabbage, carrots and beets, and fruits, namely plums, raspberries and cherries. Apple exports can stay at a level of approximately 1 million tonnes, although this will depend, however, on the scale of sales to Belarus, which after the introduction of the Russian embargo on imports from the EU has been the leading destination for Polish fruit and many other horticultural products. There should be a significant increase in the export of apples to other markets, mainly to China, India, Vietnam and the countries of North Africa, but this will not be the case in the Middle East in the short term.
Total exports of processed fruit and vegetables may reach 1.67 million tonnes, compared to 1.60 million tonnes in the previous season. The increase in foreign sales will affect almost all processed products, and the sharpest increase will correspond to the exports of frozen fruit and vegetables and juices (sold in bulk packs). As a result of the sale of stocks from the 2015/16 campaign, there should also be an increase in the export of apple juice concentrate.
The overall decline in import prices of most horticultural products will reduce the total revenue from exports of this commodity group from 2.51 to 2.41 billion Euro.
The import of tropical fruits, representing over 90% of the total volume of fresh fruit imports, will remain at approximately 1.35 million tonnes. There will be an increase in the import of citrus fruits and a reduction (due to high import prices) in the import of peaches, nectarines and kiwifruit. No significant changes are recorded in the import of bananas. The import of fruits from the temperate zone (mainly apples, pears, strawberries and plums) will, as in the 2015/16 season, amount to approximately 100 thousand tonnes. The increase in the harvest volume will lead to a reduction in the import of almost all kinds of vegetables.