In January-August 2024, the value of total exports of agri-food goods from Poland amounted to EUR 34.7 billion (PLN 150 billion) and was slightly higher (by 0.6%, EUR 0.2 billion) than in the corresponding period of 2023.
The share of agri-food exports in the value of total Polish exports in the eight months of 2024 was 15.1%, compared to 14.9% in the same period of 2023.
The performance of agri-food exports in the first eight months of 2024 was determined by lower receipts from foreign sales to the largest recipients of domestic exports, namely: Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and the USA. A factor affecting trade performance was a less favourable euro and US dollar exchange rate for domestic exporters than in the corresponding months of 2023.
Imports of agri-food commodities to Poland in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 23 billion (PLN 99 billion), 5% higher than a year ago. The higher growth rate in the value of imports relative to the growth rate of exports resulted in a decrease (by 7%) in the positive foreign trade balance, to EUR 11.7 billion.
The performance of agri-food exports in the first eight months of 2024 was determined by lower receipts from foreign sales to the largest recipients of domestic exports, namely: Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and the USA. A factor affecting trade performance was a less favourable euro and US dollar exchange rate for domestic exporters than in the corresponding months of 2023.
Imports of agri-food commodities to Poland in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 23 billion (PLN 99 billion), 5% higher than a year ago. The higher growth rate in the value of imports relative to the growth rate of exports resulted in a decrease (by 7%) in the positive foreign trade balance, to EUR 11.7 billion.
Geographical structure of exports of agri-food products from Poland
As in previous years, agri-food products were exported from Poland mainly to the EU market. In January-August 2024, deliveries to EU countries generated a value of EUR 25.5 billion (PLN 110 billion), which represented a slight (by 0.5%) increase in relation to the same period in 2023. The share of the EU market in the export of agri-food goods from Poland was 73%.
Exports to the EU in the first eight months of 2024, as in previous years, were characterised by a significant geographical concentration.
Germany remained Poland’s main trading partner. Exports to this country in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 8.8 billion and were 1% lower than a year ago. The main exports to Germany were: tobacco products (EUR 1.4 billion, 37 thousand tonnes), fish and fishery products (EUR 935 million, 96 thousand tonnes), cereal grain (mainly wheat grain – EUR 215 million, 978 thousand tonnes and maize grain – EUR 168 million, 788 thousand tonnes), poultry meat (EUR 557 million, 195 thousand tonnes), pet food (EUR 556 million, 215 thousand tonnes), confectionery (EUR 534 million, 82 thousand tonnes), meat, offal and preparations without poultry (EUR 488 million, 111 thousand tonnes) and bread and bakery products (EUR 465 million, 136 thousand tonnes).
Important recipients of agri-food products from Poland on the EU market were also:
Agri-food products worth EUR 9.2 billion (PLN 40 billion) were exported from Poland to non-EU countries in January-August 2024, up by 1% year-on-year. The main exports were: dairy products (€1.1bn, down 2%), meat and nonpoultry products (€1bn, up 9%), poultry meat (€736m, up 17%), cereal grains (€643m, down 34%), bread and bakery products (€589m, up 1%), chocolate and chocolate products (€575m, up 17%) and tobacco and tobacco products (€557m, down 2%).
The largest non-EU recipients of agri-food products from Poland were the UK, Ukraine and the US. In the case of the United Kingdom, the value of food exports from Poland in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 2.8 billion (up by 1% y-o-y). Exports to the UK market were mainly poultry meat (€437m, 122,000 tonnes), meat preparations (€412m, 90,000 tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (€263m, 52,000 tonnes), bread and bakery products (€214m, 49,000 tonnes) and pet food (€128m, 66,000 tonnes).
Revenues generated from agri-food exports to the Ukrainian market in the eight-month period of 2024 amounted to EUR 588 million, down 16% year-on-year. The main products sold to Ukraine were pet food (€62m, 33,000 tonnes), cheese and curd (€52m, 10,000 tonnes), sugar and glucose syrups (€40m, 5,000 tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (€36m, 7,000 tonnes), coffee (€34m, 6,000 tonnes) and bread and bakery products (€27m, 7,000 tonnes).
Traders exported €489 million worth of agri-food products to the United States, 11% lower year-on-year. Exports were mainly chocolate and chocolate products (€75m, 6,000 tonnes), fish and fish preparations (€74m, 6,000 tonnes), meat and preparations other than poultry (€54m, 13,000 tonnes) and bread and bakery products (€45m, 5,000 tonnes).
Noteworthy is the large increase in revenue generated from the sale of agri-food products to the Turkish and Swiss markets. In the first eight months of 2024, exports of agri-food products to Turkey reached EUR 334 million, which meant a 35% year-on-year increase in the value of exports. Exports to the Turkish market were mainly beef (€194m, 35,000 tonnes), malt extract (€29m, 7,000 tonnes) and pet food (€19m, 11,000 tonnes).
Revenue from exports to Switzerland in the first eight months of 2024 increased by 52% to €279 million. The main exports to the Swiss market were: pet food (€45m, 13,000 tonnes), tobacco products (€45m, 1,000 tonnes), fish and preserves (€42m, 3,000 tonnes), and alcohol products (€35m, 23,000 tonnes).
Commodity structure of exports of agri-food products from Poland
The commodity structure of Polish exports of agri-food products was dominated by meat, meat preparations and livestock. In January-August 2024, revenues generated from foreign sales of the aforementioned commodity group amounted to EUR 6.9 billion and were 5% higher than a year earlier, accounting for 20% of the value of all Polish exports of agri-food products.
Poultry meat (41% – €2,818 million), meat preparations (26% – €1,785 million), beef (23% – €1,560 million) and pork (8% – €570 million) accounted for the largest share of the export value of meat, meat preparations and livestock. Other meat species and livestock together accounted for around 2% of the export value share of this commodity group.
The second position in terms of value with a 12% share in agri-food exports from Poland was occupied by cereal grains and cereal preparations, whose total sales in January-August 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, decreased by 17%, to EUR 4.2 billion. Poland exported 6.8 million tonnes of cereal grain for €1.5 billion in the eight-month period of 2024. Within the export volume structure, wheat accounted for 57% (3.8 million tonnes, a 20% year-on-year decrease in export volume), maize for 26% (1.7 million tonnes, a 39% decrease), rye for 7% (482,000 tonnes, a 41% increase) and barley for 3% (212,000 tonnes, a 36% decrease).
Exporters sent grain primarily to the EU market (3.9 million tonnes, 57% of grain exports). At the same time, 2.9 million tonnes of cereal grain were exported to non-EU countries, accounting for 43% of the export volume. In January-August 2024, wheat grain was sold mainly to Germany (978,000 tonnes, 25% of grain exports) and, among third countries, to Nigeria (734,000 tonnes, 19%), Angola (223,000 tonnes, 6%) and Cameroon (184,000 tonnes, 5%).
The main recipients of maize from Poland were Germany (788 thousand tonnes, 45% of this grain’s export) and the Netherlands (312 thousand tonnes, 18%), and from outside the EU – Great Britain (207 thousand tonnes, 12%). Poland’s main export destinations for rye were Germany (294 thousand tonnes, 61% of that grain), Denmark (76 thousand tonnes, 16%), Spain (51 thousand tonnes, 11%) and the United States (22 thousand tonnes, 5%), and for barley – Germany (79 thousand tonnes, 37% of that grain exported), the Netherlands (52 thousand tonnes, 25%) and Algeria (33 thousand tonnes, 16%) and Ireland (11 thousand tonnes, 5%).
Foreign sales also included cereal products – mainly highly processed. In the eight months of 2024, revenues generated from exports of processed cereal products (including: flour, groats, malt, pasta, bread and bakery products) amounted to nearly €2.7 billion, 3% higher than a year earlier.
Increases in export value were recorded for: Sugar and confectionery (up 18%, to €2.8 billion), Coffee, tea and cocoa (up 15%, to nearly €0.9 billion), Fruit and preserves (up 7%, to €1.3 billion), Meat, preserves and livestock (up 5%, to €6,9 billion), fish and preserves (down 4%, to €2 billion), dairy products (down 2%, to €2.4 billion), tobacco and tobacco products (down 2%, to €3.7 billion) and vegetables and preserves (down 2%, to €1.8 billion).
Declines in export value, compared to the same period in 2023, occurred for: cereal grains and preparations (down 17%, to €4.2 billion), oilseeds and vegetable fats (down 16%, to nearly €0.9 billion), fruit and vegetable juices (down 2%, to nearly €0.6 billion) and alcohol (down 2%, to €0.5 billion).
The share of agri-food exports in the value of total Polish exports in the eight months of 2024 was 15.1%, compared to 14.9% in the same period of 2023.
The performance of agri-food exports in the first eight months of 2024 was determined by lower receipts from foreign sales to the largest recipients of domestic exports, namely: Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and the USA. A factor affecting trade performance was a less favourable euro and US dollar exchange rate for domestic exporters than in the corresponding months of 2023.
Imports of agri-food commodities to Poland in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 23 billion (PLN 99 billion), 5% higher than a year ago. The higher growth rate in the value of imports relative to the growth rate of exports resulted in a decrease (by 7%) in the positive foreign trade balance, to EUR 11.7 billion.
The performance of agri-food exports in the first eight months of 2024 was determined by lower receipts from foreign sales to the largest recipients of domestic exports, namely: Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and the USA. A factor affecting trade performance was a less favourable euro and US dollar exchange rate for domestic exporters than in the corresponding months of 2023.
Imports of agri-food commodities to Poland in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 23 billion (PLN 99 billion), 5% higher than a year ago. The higher growth rate in the value of imports relative to the growth rate of exports resulted in a decrease (by 7%) in the positive foreign trade balance, to EUR 11.7 billion.
Geographical structure of exports of agri-food products from Poland
As in previous years, agri-food products were exported from Poland mainly to the EU market. In January-August 2024, deliveries to EU countries generated a value of EUR 25.5 billion (PLN 110 billion), which represented a slight (by 0.5%) increase in relation to the same period in 2023. The share of the EU market in the export of agri-food goods from Poland was 73%.
Exports to the EU in the first eight months of 2024, as in previous years, were characterised by a significant geographical concentration.
Germany remained Poland’s main trading partner. Exports to this country in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 8.8 billion and were 1% lower than a year ago. The main exports to Germany were: tobacco products (EUR 1.4 billion, 37 thousand tonnes), fish and fishery products (EUR 935 million, 96 thousand tonnes), cereal grain (mainly wheat grain – EUR 215 million, 978 thousand tonnes and maize grain – EUR 168 million, 788 thousand tonnes), poultry meat (EUR 557 million, 195 thousand tonnes), pet food (EUR 556 million, 215 thousand tonnes), confectionery (EUR 534 million, 82 thousand tonnes), meat, offal and preparations without poultry (EUR 488 million, 111 thousand tonnes) and bread and bakery products (EUR 465 million, 136 thousand tonnes).
Important recipients of agri-food products from Poland on the EU market were also:
- France – EUR 2.1 billion, 2% increase in revenue; exports mainly: poultry meat (EUR 363 million, 119,000 tonnes), processed meat (EUR 278 million, 65,000 tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (EUR 134 million, 20,000 tonnes), bread and bakery products (EUR 114 million, 28,000 tonnes), beef (EUR 102 million, 17,000 tonnes) and pet food (EUR 84 million, 34,000 tonnes);
- Netherlands – EUR 2.0 billion, revenue down by 7%; exports mainly: poultry meat (EUR 258 million, 109 thousand tonnes), tobacco products (EUR 157 million, 12 thousand tonnes), cereal grains (mainly maize – EUR 64 million, 312 thousand tonnes and wheat – EUR 15 million, 57 thousand tonnes), beef (EUR 103 million, 22 thousand tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (EUR 98 million, 20 thousand tonnes), pet food (EUR 64 million, 23 thousand tonnes), fruit and vegetable juices (EUR 60 million, 70 thousand tonnes), birds’ eggs (EUR 59 million, 38 thousand tonnes) and fish and fish products (EUR 56 million, 6 thousand tonnes);
- Italy – EUR 1.7 billion, 2% decrease in revenue; exports were mainly tobacco products (EUR 330 million, 15 thousand tonnes), beef (EUR 316 million, 55 thousand tonnes), fish and fishery products (EUR 162 million, 17 thousand tonnes), bread and bakery products (EUR 71 million, 14 thousand tonnes), pet food (EUR 54 million, 21 thousand tonnes), cheese and curd (EUR 54 million, 12 thousand tonnes) and chocolate and chocolate products (EUR 53 million, 6 thousand tonnes);
- Czech Republic – EUR 1.6 billion, 3% increase in revenue; exports mainly: poultry meat (EUR 174 million, 61 thousand tonnes), bread and bakery products (EUR 140 million, 54 thousand tonnes), tobacco products (EUR 103 million, 6 thousand. tonnes), pet food (EUR 78 million, 37 thousand tonnes), cheese and curd (EUR 74 million, 17 thousand tonnes), pork (EUR 62 million, 17 thousand tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (EUR 73 million, 13 thousand tonnes), and butter (EUR 52 million, 9 thousand tonnes).
Agri-food products worth EUR 9.2 billion (PLN 40 billion) were exported from Poland to non-EU countries in January-August 2024, up by 1% year-on-year. The main exports were: dairy products (€1.1bn, down 2%), meat and nonpoultry products (€1bn, up 9%), poultry meat (€736m, up 17%), cereal grains (€643m, down 34%), bread and bakery products (€589m, up 1%), chocolate and chocolate products (€575m, up 17%) and tobacco and tobacco products (€557m, down 2%).
The largest non-EU recipients of agri-food products from Poland were the UK, Ukraine and the US. In the case of the United Kingdom, the value of food exports from Poland in January-August 2024 amounted to EUR 2.8 billion (up by 1% y-o-y). Exports to the UK market were mainly poultry meat (€437m, 122,000 tonnes), meat preparations (€412m, 90,000 tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (€263m, 52,000 tonnes), bread and bakery products (€214m, 49,000 tonnes) and pet food (€128m, 66,000 tonnes).
Revenues generated from agri-food exports to the Ukrainian market in the eight-month period of 2024 amounted to EUR 588 million, down 16% year-on-year. The main products sold to Ukraine were pet food (€62m, 33,000 tonnes), cheese and curd (€52m, 10,000 tonnes), sugar and glucose syrups (€40m, 5,000 tonnes), chocolate and chocolate products (€36m, 7,000 tonnes), coffee (€34m, 6,000 tonnes) and bread and bakery products (€27m, 7,000 tonnes).
Traders exported €489 million worth of agri-food products to the United States, 11% lower year-on-year. Exports were mainly chocolate and chocolate products (€75m, 6,000 tonnes), fish and fish preparations (€74m, 6,000 tonnes), meat and preparations other than poultry (€54m, 13,000 tonnes) and bread and bakery products (€45m, 5,000 tonnes).
Noteworthy is the large increase in revenue generated from the sale of agri-food products to the Turkish and Swiss markets. In the first eight months of 2024, exports of agri-food products to Turkey reached EUR 334 million, which meant a 35% year-on-year increase in the value of exports. Exports to the Turkish market were mainly beef (€194m, 35,000 tonnes), malt extract (€29m, 7,000 tonnes) and pet food (€19m, 11,000 tonnes).
Revenue from exports to Switzerland in the first eight months of 2024 increased by 52% to €279 million. The main exports to the Swiss market were: pet food (€45m, 13,000 tonnes), tobacco products (€45m, 1,000 tonnes), fish and preserves (€42m, 3,000 tonnes), and alcohol products (€35m, 23,000 tonnes).
Commodity structure of exports of agri-food products from Poland
The commodity structure of Polish exports of agri-food products was dominated by meat, meat preparations and livestock. In January-August 2024, revenues generated from foreign sales of the aforementioned commodity group amounted to EUR 6.9 billion and were 5% higher than a year earlier, accounting for 20% of the value of all Polish exports of agri-food products.
Poultry meat (41% – €2,818 million), meat preparations (26% – €1,785 million), beef (23% – €1,560 million) and pork (8% – €570 million) accounted for the largest share of the export value of meat, meat preparations and livestock. Other meat species and livestock together accounted for around 2% of the export value share of this commodity group.
The second position in terms of value with a 12% share in agri-food exports from Poland was occupied by cereal grains and cereal preparations, whose total sales in January-August 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, decreased by 17%, to EUR 4.2 billion. Poland exported 6.8 million tonnes of cereal grain for €1.5 billion in the eight-month period of 2024. Within the export volume structure, wheat accounted for 57% (3.8 million tonnes, a 20% year-on-year decrease in export volume), maize for 26% (1.7 million tonnes, a 39% decrease), rye for 7% (482,000 tonnes, a 41% increase) and barley for 3% (212,000 tonnes, a 36% decrease).
Exporters sent grain primarily to the EU market (3.9 million tonnes, 57% of grain exports). At the same time, 2.9 million tonnes of cereal grain were exported to non-EU countries, accounting for 43% of the export volume. In January-August 2024, wheat grain was sold mainly to Germany (978,000 tonnes, 25% of grain exports) and, among third countries, to Nigeria (734,000 tonnes, 19%), Angola (223,000 tonnes, 6%) and Cameroon (184,000 tonnes, 5%).
The main recipients of maize from Poland were Germany (788 thousand tonnes, 45% of this grain’s export) and the Netherlands (312 thousand tonnes, 18%), and from outside the EU – Great Britain (207 thousand tonnes, 12%). Poland’s main export destinations for rye were Germany (294 thousand tonnes, 61% of that grain), Denmark (76 thousand tonnes, 16%), Spain (51 thousand tonnes, 11%) and the United States (22 thousand tonnes, 5%), and for barley – Germany (79 thousand tonnes, 37% of that grain exported), the Netherlands (52 thousand tonnes, 25%) and Algeria (33 thousand tonnes, 16%) and Ireland (11 thousand tonnes, 5%).
Foreign sales also included cereal products – mainly highly processed. In the eight months of 2024, revenues generated from exports of processed cereal products (including: flour, groats, malt, pasta, bread and bakery products) amounted to nearly €2.7 billion, 3% higher than a year earlier.
Increases in export value were recorded for: Sugar and confectionery (up 18%, to €2.8 billion), Coffee, tea and cocoa (up 15%, to nearly €0.9 billion), Fruit and preserves (up 7%, to €1.3 billion), Meat, preserves and livestock (up 5%, to €6,9 billion), fish and preserves (down 4%, to €2 billion), dairy products (down 2%, to €2.4 billion), tobacco and tobacco products (down 2%, to €3.7 billion) and vegetables and preserves (down 2%, to €1.8 billion).
Declines in export value, compared to the same period in 2023, occurred for: cereal grains and preparations (down 17%, to €4.2 billion), oilseeds and vegetable fats (down 16%, to nearly €0.9 billion), fruit and vegetable juices (down 2%, to nearly €0.6 billion) and alcohol (down 2%, to €0.5 billion).
