November 20 2006, 09:25

Russia has got along a year without polish apples, hasn't it?

More than a year passed since Russia has imposed a ban for supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables from Poland. The ban has been in force till the present moment; Russian and Polish parties don't see the way out of the situation. According to Russian party, Poles have not still persuaded Russian Federal Agency for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision that in case of embargo's revocation for Polish import no cases of certificate fraud are recorded. At the same time Polish party of the negotiation process seems having no idea how to talk round Russian side.

However, the representatives of Polish fruit and vegetable business have given up warring about it for a long time ago. Really, why? Both Russians and Poles are aware that Polish apple is being actively exported to Russian market. Or, to say more accurately, reexported. For example, during the recent exhibition World Food Russia in Moscow minimum 15 exporters of Polish apples had their exhibition booths, in addition to Lithuanian and Latvian companies, which were actively offering Polish apples too. Basic analysis of apple export from Baltic countries to Russia will undoubtedly show the scale of the process. However, Polish exporters say that export volumes have decreased significantly as a result of Russian embargo. Before embargo launch fresh apples' export from Poland to Russia was from 200,000 to 300,000 tons per year.

In spite of the fact, that the ban affected fruit and vegetable business of Poland, it gave a new push to development of this segment of agriculture. Such things often happen. First of all, Polish exporters hurried up to look for the alternative sales markets and to essentially build up apple supplies to EU. In their turn, market players were encouraged to develop the storage and post harvest handling technologies. Second, producers began paying more attention to apple varieties, which are popular in the EU, and possibly, not so popular on Russian market. Ukraine helped Poland also by establishing a very low season tariff rate for apple import. Our country has imported more than 100,000 tons of this commodity in 2005 (in comparison with the import in the amount of 10,000-20,000 tons before the import tax was reduced).

The changes positively influenced Ukrainian market too; Polish companies started working actively there. Due to export supplies, some of them managed to make out possibilities for import, which resulted in the export growth of fresh fruits and vegetables from Ukraine to Poland.

Mr Artur Stasiak's report is included to the program of the third international conference "Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine 2006. Open market". He is the Director of "Silvi Cola Sp. z o.o.", Polish fresh fruits and vegetables' exporter and importer. He knows the trends of Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and EU countries' markets perfectly; Mr. Stasiak will tell which fruits and vegetables may be supplied from Ukraine to Poland right now and in the future. Moreover, Mr. Stasiak will share experience of apple supplies from Poland to Ukrainian and Russian markets and will speak about perspectives of Polish apples market.

We remind you that you have to register if you want to participate in the conference. Less than a week is left till the end of the registration!