Polish FMCG market

The development of Polish exports – in what direction is it going?

Friday, 06 October, 2017
For many years, Polish products have been present on trade chain shelves worldwide. Polish exports are thriving – since 2000, the turnover of Polish foreign trade has increased as much as tenfold. Thanks to good long-term cooperation of foreign chains with Polish producers, exports of Polish products to foreign trade chains reached the value of PLN 10 billion. Such a satisfactory result is due to the high quality of Polish products at attractive prices, fully meeting the expectations of consumers worldwide. The increase in exports is also aided by an increase in demand for agricultural produce, resulting predominantly from the geopolitical and geographic conditions. This has resulted in the emergence of new outlets, such as the Maghreb countries which have become one of the leading recipients of Polish foodstuffs. Moreover, Polish producers export increasingly more products to the European Union. In the 1st quarter of this year, exports to the EU increased by 4.1% (to EUR 50.9 billion), this includes by 4.8% to Germany, by 6.2% to the United Kingdom, by 2.9% to the Czech Republic, by 3.4% to Italy, and by 6.7% to the Netherlands. Preliminary estimates of the Ministry of Development show that Poland exported more than EUR 6.3 billion worth of agri-food products in the 1st quarter of the current year.
The highest value on the Polish market was achieved by the export of meat and offal, resulting from the competitive prices of Polish poultry. Sale prices of Polish meat products can be even 30% lower than in other European Union countries. Apart from meat, the 1st quarter of 2017 also saw an increase in exports of dairy products. Forecasts of demand for our goods indicate that exports of agri-food products in 2017 will rise by approx. 7-8%.

A showcase of Polish trade is the strong internal market, resulting from high-quality goods and good prices. These factors naturally impact the demand for Polish goods abroad, and the volumes of Polish exports have been consistently on the rise over the recent years.

Polish producers are becoming increasingly proficient on foreign markets. They are very flexible and open to  cooperation, they establish long-term relationships with their foreign business partners. They are also concerned with the high quality of their products, which directly results in meeting the expectations of their customers. Their activities are strongly supported by the promotion of Polish foods and products through government programmes, such as “Marka dla Polski” (A Brand for Poland) or “Dobre bo polskie” (Good Because Polish).

An obvious challenge for the main Polish products, including export brands, is to create an image of a product that would not only meet the quality expectations of customers but would also be recognizable and stand out on the market at the same time. As a result, the creation of a market image for products is a crucial part of the success of Polish exports. This will make Polish products present on shop shelves in the European Union and non-community countries alike.


Renata Juszkiewicz
President of the Board, POHiD


tagi: Polish exports , development , POHiD ,