Just when the Polish apple trade was picking up again, the industry was dealt a new blow, Adam Malengiewicz, sales manager for Polish apple exporter Ewa-Bis, explains: “Since the beginning of December, we slowly started shipping apples from Europe, as the market traffic had somewhat recovered and everything was heading in the right direction. However, the situation was then spoiled by the Red Sea crisis, which a week before Christmas blocked further planned shipments and programs that we had agreed with customers.”
According to Malengiewicz, the crisis brings in a set of problems, one of which is having to be more strict when it comes to the quality of the apples, as the transit time is now longer than before. “The demand has gently recovered in the new year after mid-January. We have resumed exporting apples to foreign markets, the European market has also started to take an interest in Polish apples. At the moment, we’re challenged by difficult connections due to the blocked Red Sea-route and changing freight costs in connections to Asia or the Middle East. We’re also facing a problem with uneven quality of apples. Since the ships now take a little longer to get to their destination, having to go around Africa, we have to choose better quality apples that are suitable for this long transport time.”
Although the crisis could have a longer lasting effect, Malengiewicz states they only stopped their shipments for just a few weeks and are now making up for that lost time: “The Red Sea crisis has stopped our programs and plans for a while. I think it will slow down the strengthening of the position of the Polish apple in the Middle East and Asian markets. We’re currently shipping more apples in an effort to gently make up for the time without shipments. Contrary to appearances, we’ve only stopped shipments for three weeks,” he concludes.
Ewa-Bis will be exhibiting during Fruit Logistica, you can find them in Hall 21, stand A-20.
For more information:
Adam Malengiewicz
Ewa-Bis Sp. z o.o.
Email: [email protected]
www.ewabis.com.pl