Embargo a blessing for farmers?

Photo: sxc.hu

Before the import ban was announced in early August this year, Russia was one of the biggest buyers of Polish food and agricultural produce. In 2013, it had a 6.5 percent share in the sector's exports.

Nevertheless, Polish farmers sell their products to more than 100 countries now and the embargo may be an opportunity to increase their presence there or find new markets.

“Polish agriculture has proven that it knows how to solve problems,” Andrzej Arendarski, head of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, told Newseria.

“This was what happened after the previous Russian embargo on meat and agricultural produce, when we found new markets very quickly and this will also be the case now.”

Pawel Czechowski, agricultural law professor from the University of Warsaw, agrees.

“These difficulties will do more to strengthen Polish agriculture rather than hurt it,” he said.

“Governmental activity and new promoted directions will probably lead to new export markets, which is important, because diversification is a key issue for our exports,” Czechowski added.

Arendarski named the Far East and Africa as export destinations that Poland should still work on.

Most recently, Canada has opened its market for Polish apples. Chile has started buying Polish pork and China has started buying poultry and milk from Poland.

The total volume of Poland's agricultural exports is expected to reach 20 billion euro in 2014 compared to just 5.2 billion euro ten years earlier. The balance in foreign trade of agricultural products has improved from 0.8 billion euro in 2004 to 5.7 billion euro in 2013. (kw)

Source: Newseria/Polskieradio24