“This is another good year in the export of Polish food. This result is due to many factors, including the fact that Polish products are still price competitive and good in terms of quality,” Smolarz said. He added that “last year’s growth-promoting effect on Polish exports of agri-food products was the reduction, compared to 2022, of the negative impact of factors such as the costs of import of supplies, transport, energy and fuels.”
The head of KOWR pointed out that the increase in the value of agri-food exports in 2023 was, however, less dynamic than in 2022 due to recorded price drops on the international food market, which translated into lower transaction prices in foreign trade. “At the same time, the tendency towards the appreciation of the Polish zloty against the euro had a negative impact on the price competitiveness of Polish agri-food products on the EU market,” Smolarz noted. He added that “duty-free access to the EU market for Ukrainian agricultural products was not without significance for Polish exports, which resulted in a greater supply of them on the EU market, which constituted price competition for domestic food products.”
Where does Poland export food?
Poland’s main trading partner in 2023 will remain the European Union countries, which receive over 73%. export food products. Food goods worth EUR 38 billion (PLN 173 billion) were sold on the EU market, which means 7 percent. increase compared to 2022. The largest recipient of Polish food was Germany, where products worth EUR 13.3 billion were delivered (an increase of 11%).
The Netherlands (EUR 3.2 billion, increase by 2%), France (EUR 3.0 billion, increase by 4%), Italy (EUR 2.5 billion, increase by 7%) were also large importers of Polish food. and the Czech Republic (EUR 2.4 billion, an increase of 9%).
EU countries purchased from Poland mainly: tobacco products (worth EUR 4.6 billion), poultry meat (EUR 3.1 billion), dairy products (EUR 2.2 billion), bread and bakery products (EUR 2.1 billion). ), beef (EUR 1.8 billion), pet food (EUR 1.7 billion), and chocolate products (EUR 1.7 billion).
Agri-food products worth EUR 13.8 billion (PLN 63 billion) were exported from Poland to non-EU countries, which meant an increase of 11%. Outside the EU, the country exported mainly: wheat (EUR 1.2 billion, 4.7 million tons), dairy products (EUR 1.1 billion), poultry meat (EUR 961 million, 530 thousand tons), bread and bakery products (EUR 937 million, 192 thousand tonnes), tobacco products (EUR 821 million, 49 thousand tonnes) and chocolate and chocolate products (EUR 798 million, 149 thousand tonnes).
Among the non-EU countries, the largest recipients of Polish food were: Great Britain (export revenues of EUR 4.2 billion, an increase of 14%), Ukraine (EUR 1.03 billion, an increase of 9%) and the United States ( EUR 870 million, an increase of 13 percent).
EU – Poland’s main partner
“The European Union was, is and most likely will be our main partner in food trade due to economic connections, market absorption, geographical proximity and high purchasing power of European consumers,” Smolarz pointed out. He noted that in 2023, food exports from Poland were immune to Germany’s poor economic performance.
The head of KOWR noted that establishing new trade relations with non-EU countries is as important as developing business contacts in the European Union. “The progressive diversification of exports and the ability of exporters to adapt their product offer to the specific requirements of foreign consumers – these are the sources of success of Polish exporters,” Smolarz pointed out. He added that, as in previous years, the development of Polish food exports was indirectly possible thanks to the developed raw material base of Polish agriculture, which supplies the domestic processing industry with high-quality agricultural products. And Polish food processing itself is among the most modern in the EU.
“The National Support Center for Agriculture also contributes to the development of Polish agri-food exports by supporting the activities of exporters by organizing fairs and business meetings, which makes Polish food more credible on foreign markets and improves trade in goods by servicing foreign trade mechanisms,” emphasized the head of KOWR.
Polish foreign trade in agri-food products in 2023 recorded a positive trade balance of EUR 18.6 billion (PLN 85 billion).
