Agriculture is Major Contributor to the Polish Economy
Agriculture is currently the fourth largest sector of the Polish economy, and its share in the GDP of the country is much higher than the European average. The value of national production places Poland in 7th place in the European Union.
Poland has gained a significant position as a producer and exporter of agri-food products in the global market. For several years now, it remains the largest in the EU and the world’s third largest apple producer. At the same time, Poland is the biggest EU producer of concentrated apple juice.
Poland is also the second, behind China, apple concentrate producer in the world. Poland remains at the forefront of production of many goods in the EU, e.g. poultry, carrots, white cabbage, triticale, black currant, rye, oats, strawberries, sugar beet, rapeseed, onions and potatoes. Poland is a significant producer of: milk, cheese, butter, tomatoes, and tobacco. 35% of all mushrooms imported in the world, come from Poland.
Changes in agricultural processing have been significantly affected by EU integration. EU funds, along with domestic support, with a significant effort on part of the farmers, entrepreneurs and employees of processing plants, contribute to accelerating the pace of modernization of agricultural holdings and companies of the agricultural sector. Plants which were first to implement EU requirements, were those involved with meat and milk processing. Today, they are among the best in the world. Polish food has a strong position on the European market, where nearly 3/4 of export is directed.
Furthermore, more than 30% of all Polish food is exported to more than 70 countries in the world. Poland’s inclusion in the uniform market revealed the competitive advantage of Polish agricultural producers and processors, and resulted in a fast increase in the displacement of agri-food products. The combination of high-quality raw materials with modern production technologies, as well as continuous improvement of the quality control system, makes Polish food products gain an increasingly wider recognition among consumers not only in the EU, but also in Asia.
