The year has been a challenging one for Polish apple exporters, says Jakub Krawczyk, export manager for Polish apple exporter Appolonia: "Our apple season is very difficult this year. The challenge starts with the availability of products that match our needs and ends with smaller orders from our regular customers. We haven't seen sales levels this low in a couple of years. Generally, the price level is similar to what it was a couple of months ago, so not much has changed in this regard."
Right now, Appolonia is putting all effort into getting ahead, as they won't be able to do much work during the holidays, Krawczyk explains. "It's always a busy time ahead of Christmas, as we need to get ahead to cover the days we will not be able to be productive due to due to the holidays. That's why we currently see a larger concentration of trucks that we need to load with apples."
Despite the lack of good quality apples, the Polish exporter has no choice but to do what it can to find the right apples for its clients, as there are long term contracts that need to be fulfilled, Krawczyk states: "We don't have any other option than deliver apples for the entire season, as we have contracts with supermarkets and need to deliver apples to these clients all year. However, it all depends on which variety will end earlier. Sometimes it will occur that in a single month, the entire market changes as we're suddenly able to sell very large volumes of a specific variety, clearing our stocks at a rapid pace."
Despite the logistical issues that surround the transport across the Red Sea, Krawczyk emphasizes that the Asian continent is not left behind when it comes to the export of Polish apples. "Asia is still a market that is very important for us and other Polish exporters. Many containers of Polish apples arrived in the Indian market already and we see a very positive response from customers there, so despite the long transit time, the quality is good on arrival. Everybody is choosing the fastest route possible, which is around 40 days to India these days. There was a container shortage, but so far, we're getting everything we need from the shipping lines."
As the news recently broke that exports to Egypt have been successful again, Krawczyk acknowledges this will remain an important market for many Polish apple exporters. However, the Polish exporter has its focus on a different market: "Appolonia does not export to Egypt, but many other companies do. I think last month's statistics show that Egypt was the biggest receiver of Polish apples. But it isn't like a few years ago when everybody was sending shipments to Egypt on a large scale. South America is also becoming quite an important market, but we're looking for opening protocol to Ecuador. With access to more South American countries, the export could become much stronger next season."
"I hope we'll have less stress in the new year, especially when it comes to the most difficult orders. All of the container loadings have been super hard this season. I hope everyone enjoys the holidays, see you in 2025!" Krawczyk concludes
For more information:
Jakub Krawczyk
Appolonia
Tel: +48 785 342 930
Email: [email protected]
www.appolonia.pl