Poland more than doubles fruit and vegetable imports from Egypt

Since 2019, Poland has significantly increased its import of fruits and vegetables from Egypt, with the value rising from $36 million to $85 million, according to EastFruit. Additionally, in the first seven months of this year, Polish importers have already brought in nearly $60 million worth of Egyptian products.

Poland is a major importer of fruits and vegetables, not only in Europe but globally. Egypt currently supplies a substantial portion of its exports to the Polish market, primarily in two categories: frozen strawberries and oranges. These two products alone account for 50% to 66% of the total import volume and have been the main drivers of the rapid growth in imports from Egypt to Poland.

In 2023, Polish importers purchased $33 million worth of frozen strawberries from Egypt, compared to nearly $40 million the previous year. Egypt has maintained its leadership in supplying frozen strawberries to Poland since 2018, when it first overtook China in this market. By the way, Egypt’s expansion in the European frozen berry market has continued this year.

The import of Egyptian oranges to Poland in 2023 reached $18 million, almost four times the amount imported five years ago. In 2019, Egypt was the fifth largest supplier of oranges to Poland, but last year it climbed to third place, behind only Greece and Spain. Furthermore, Egypt has managed to establish a presence in the Spanish market, capitalizing on local production issues.

Other notable Egyptian exports to Poland include mandarins and potatoes. The import of mandarins has increased more than 50-fold over the past five years, reaching $3.3 million. Potato imports have fluctuated significantly year to year, ranging from $1.9 million to $4.7 million. This season, given the current situation in the European potato market, this figure could reach a new record.

Rounding out the list of significant Egyptian exports to Poland are dried and frozen vegetables, fresh grapes, garlic, lemons, and sweet potatoes.