Britons seem to love Polish chocolate Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Polish food is so well-known that it has even exported vocabulary: “pierogi” and “kiełbasa” are household names in many parts of the world. And the actual pierogi and kiełbasa, among other Polish edibles, are becoming increasingly popular.

In the Q1-Q3 period of 2012 Poland exported nearly €12.5 billion worth of foodstuffs, some €1 billion more than the same period of 2011, according to data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Various estimates for the whole of 2012 put Polish food exports at over €17 billion which, if confirmed, would constitute a record high. In 2011, the previous record year, Polish food exports were worth €15.3 billion. How fast have Polish food exports have grown? Ten years ago they were worth a quarter of the estimated 2012 figure.
 

What are the hits?

Various Polish foodstuffs are popular in different markets. The French love Polish tobacco and tobacco-related products (which are included in Polish food export statistics). In the first three quarters of last year, France imported nearly €227 million worth of such products.

Russians import Polish apples and pears (€164 million in Q1-Q3), Germans are keen on Polish fish (€218 million), while Britons enjoy Polish chocolates (€180 million).
The biggest importer of Polish foodstuffs is Germany (accounting for 21 percent of Poland’s total food exports), followed by the UK (7.2 percent) and Russia (6.2 percent).

But there are new, fast-growing markets, where Polish food is becoming increasingly popular – exports to Libya grew by 648 percent last year. Other Middle Eastern countries followed – in Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Polish exports grew by 267, 145, 124 and 118 percent respectively.

One of the more important markets for export outside the EU is Vietnam. Poland exports mostly fish (salmon), milk and milk related products to the Southeast Asian country, and exports there grew by 72 percent in 2012.

International retail chains have boosted Polish food exports. Last year they exported products worth nearly €1.2 billion, according to data provided by Polish Trade and Distribution Organization. The leader is Tesco, who exported (mostly to UK) nearly €400 million.

Jacek Ciesnowski