The harvest of Polish apples has commenced and the season is showing promise, says Marcin Świątek, key account manager for Bialski Owoc Sp. z o.o.: "A little over a two weeks ago, we started to pick Gala apples. It's been really hot these days, so the apples had to be chilled properly before we could start with sorting and shipping. The quality looks good, so I expect a nice season ahead of us."
Świątek emphasizes that there have been issues with the weather, leading to some significant damages in some areas. "Generally, in Poland we had problems with frost and hail storms, and in summer time we had to deal with drought. In some regions, the crop has been totally damaged, while in other areas the harvested volumes have decreased compared to the forecasts. For a lot of growers, it has been a really hard time. The total apple harvest in Poland will be lower, by about 20 to 30 per cent compared to the previous year."
Overall, Świątek feels that the reputation of Polish apples and produce in general has gotten better over the past few years: "Lots of customers have found Poland to be a really good market they can work with. We've already shown and proven that we can produce good quality fruit and sell them for competitive prices. For us, the main challenge is not to waste any opportunities that present themselves to us."
Sticking to plans one makes ahead of the season isn't as clearcut these days, Świątek states. "It's kind of difficult to point out a main market, as the Red Sea crisis has proven that any plans you have before the season starts can derail completely due to external factors outside of our control. We must to diversify customers, because you never know what will happen during the current season. That is why we are focused on overseas markets, but still work with customers in Poland and other European countries for the entire year."
It's not all positive though, as Świątek reminds everyone that the costs of production in Poland is getting out of hand and investments and innovation are required to keep up: "Increasing costs do not make our life easier. The cost of electricity is still going up, which is why we had to install solar panels, to reduce our bills as much as possible. The cost of the labour force and the availability of workers in general has forced us to find new solutions. We're still working on tackling this specific issue," he concludes.
For more information:
Marcin Świątek
Bialski Owoc Sp. z o.o.
Tel: +48 533-205-500
[email protected]
www.bialskiowoc.com