Agro Perspectiva

Polish fish and seafood imports continued to grow in 2022 and reached over $3 billion, with a $129 million (4 percent market share) originating from the USA

06.01.2024 12:43 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — Following are selected highlights from a report issued by a U. S. Department of Agriculture attache in The Warsaw, oland is Central and Eastern Europe’s largest market for food and beverage products. With a population of nearly 38 million people, Poland is a large and growing market for U.S. food and agricultural products. In 2022, Poland’s economy was slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it sent shock waves through the Polish economy. The subsequent imposition of sanctions by the European Union (EU) and Poland on Russia and Belarus and the disruption in trade, have contributed to sharp increases in energy, fuel, and food prices; these factors also affected Poland’s economy throughout 2023. Poland’s total 2022 imports of food, agricultural, and related products were valued at over $39 billion, with U.S. imports accounting for $585 million. U.S. products with strong sales potential include fish, seafood, tree nuts, distilled spirits, wine, dried fruit, and innovative food ingredient products.

The current strife in neighboring Ukraine has brought challenges to the Polish market. The war has disrupted the transportation of goods into Poland, affecting not only domestic consumption, but also certain processing industries This has created a potential gap between consumer demand and supply in several sectors, such as processed fruit, pollock, and salmon. One of the most affected industries is Poland’s fish processing industry, one of the largest in the world.

The imposition of sanctions by the EU and Poland on Russia and Belarus and the disruption of trade have contributed to a sharp rise in inflation, driven by energy/fuel and food prices climbing 14.4 percent in 2022. More than two million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Poland since the start of the conflict,

increasing demand for goods. Poland is searching for new suppliers and supply chains to mitigate the externalities brought on by the conflict in Ukraine.

Domestic and EU products, which account for over 50 percent of total food imports, are the main competitors for U.S. exports. The growth of Poland’s food processing industry has led to a wider variety of locally made products, including Polish-produced iconic American products. Polish fish and seafood

imports continued to grow in 2022 and reached over $3 billion, with a $129 million (4 percent market share) originating from the United States. Poland is now one of the world’s largest salmon processors.