Sylwia Kierczyńska

The aim of the study was to analyze how the decision to establish free trade between Ukraine and the European Union after the Russian invasion of Ukraine influenced the volume of imports of selected fruit products to the EU Member States, especially to Poland. Material and Methods: The Eurostat (Comext) database was used as a source of data showing the monthly volume (kg) of imports of fruit products (according to the CN code) from Ukraine to individual EU Member States between June 2017 and May 2024. The imports of the following fruit products were analyzed: apple juice concentrate, frozen: cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants. The study was based on the descriptive method and statistical methods: arithmetic mean and single-base index. Results: The liberalisation of trade with Ukraine caused an increase in the imports of most the aforementioned fruit products to the EU. The volume of imports of apple juice concentrate increased nine times, frozen blackcurrants-over seven times, frozen raspberries-three times, frozen strawberries by only 3%, whereas the volume of imports of frozen sour cherries decreased by more than a half. After the trade liberalization, processed fruit products were also imported from Ukraine by those countries which did not import them in the reference period. Poland was the largest importer of each of those processed fruit products from Ukraine. After the trade liberalization, the highest increase in the imports of apple juice concentrate, frozen raspberries, and frozen blackcurrants was observed in Poland. Conclusions: Fruit production and processing in Poland is well-developed. Further liberalization of trade with Ukraine may cause problems for fruit producers in Poland. They may experience difficulties in selling these products for processing or the sales prices may not be satisfactory.

Turkey is a key partner of the European Union and a candidate country for EU accession. It is also one of the world’s largest agricultural producers. The aim of this study was to assess the scale and changes in Turkey’s fruit production potential and to determine the structure and changes in imports of selected fruits from Turkey to the EU Member States. The analysis covered the period 2012-2023, divided into three four-year subperiods. Data on the area under fruit crops, production (harvest volume), and yields in Turkey were obtained from FAOSTAT, while data on imports of selected fruits from Turkey to the EU were retrieved from Eurostat. Fruit production potential was assessed by examining changes in the cultivated area and yields of selected fruit species across the defined subperiods. Changes were measured using a fixed-base index and a chain index. Over the study period, productivity increased markedly in apple and cherry orchards as well as in banana and date plantations. Higher productivity of the main fruit species (apples and cherries), combined with relatively small changes in cultivated area, contributed to an increase in their production in Turkey. Imports of fruit (CN08) from Turkey to the EU increased by 21% over the period analysed. Citrus fruits, nuts, grapes, stone fruits, melons and watermelons, and berries dominated the import structure. In the event of Turkey’s accession to the EU, further expansion of apple production and a substantial increase in apple harvests could lead to overproduction and a decline in apple prices in an enlarged EU.

Aim: The aim of the study was to analyze how the decision to establish free trade between Ukraine and the European Union after the Russian invasion of Ukraine influenced the volume of imports of selected fruit products to the EU Member States, especially to Poland. Material and methods: The...

In recent years, in Poland there have been emergency situations causing difficulties and threats to fruit producers. In 2007 and 2017 there were severe frosts during the flowering period of fruit trees and shrubs. In 2014 the Russian Federation introduced an embargo on the import of agricultural products from the EU member-states. In 2020 there was the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2022 Russia started war against Ukraine. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the level of fruit yields and purchase prices in the years when the aforementioned emergency situations occurred, to determine whether they led to fruit production crises in Poland, and to assess the ways the crises were overcome. In order to assess the strength of the crisis, deviations of the yield and purchase prices of selected fruits (apples, sour cherries, raspberries, and blackcurrants) from the average of the four years preceding the occurrence of the emergency situation were calculated. The study showed that the emergency situations caused by spring frosts were accompanied by fruit yield losses. However, this did not lead to a fruit production crisis, because lower yields were compensated by higher fruit purchase prices. In 2014 the Russian embargo on apples increased the supply of these fruits, which led to a decrease in their purchase prices. In order to counteract the crisis, fruits were withdrawn from the market. The COVID-19 pandemic drew consumers’ attention to healthy nutrition. Consumers became more interested in eating fruit and the prices of superfruits (raspberries, blackcurrants) increased. Military operations caused disruptions in international trade and changes in fruit purchase prices in Poland. The emergency situation caused by the war in Ukraine was accompanied by higher import of fruit products from that country and a decrease in the purchase prices of fruit (mainly raspberries) in Poland.

The aim of the study was to identify the significant determinants of the level of purchase prices of apples for processing in Poland. The subject of the research is purchase prices of apples for processing published in the semi-annual Fruit and Vegetable Market by the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics – National Research Institute. The study showed that the purchase prices of apples for processing in Poland were significantly influenced by the export prices of apples, the volume of the export of concentrated apple juice, and the export prices of concentrated apple juice. The increase in the export prices of apples may be caused by the growing demand for Polish apples on foreign markets, which may result in lower availability of apples for processing. Therefore, the increase in the export prices of apples was accompanied by the increase in the purchase prices of these fruits for processing. The volume of export of concentrated apple juice depends on the volume of production of this processed product, which is influenced by the volume of apples harvested in Poland. The volume of apples harvested is negatively correlated with the purchase prices of apples for processing. Therefore, the increase in the export of concentrated apple juice was accompanied by relatively low purchase prices of apples for processing. The level of export prices of concentrated apple juice was strongly related to the level of purchase prices of apples for processing and the increase of purchase prices of apples was accompanied by an increase in export prices of concentrated apple juice.

The aim of this paper is to present the relationships between the growers and the processors in the supply chain of raw material for processing in Poland and to study the de­pendence between the level of purchase prices for individual species of fruit for processing and the harvest of these fruits in Poland. The investigations cover the period of 2000–2017. The object of the research were the volume of production and the prices of selected species of the fruits for processing (ap­ples, sour cherries, plums, raspberries, strawberries, currants and gooseberries). The volume of fruit production were de­termined based on the data of the Central Statistical Office. Purchase prices of fruits for processing were adopted based on data of the Department of Horticulture Economics IERiGŻ-PIB. The dependence was studied by Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Spearman’s R index. Based on the literature review, among the factors important in relationships between producers of agricultural raw materials and processors can be mentioned: price volatility of the fruits for processing, small production scale, requirement of stable supply, and the ability to impact the quality of the raw materials for processing. The fragmentation of fruit production in Poland makes the small scale of fruit production contributes to the poor (the under­lying) fruit growers’ position in the supply chain of fruit for processing. Fruit producers must accept the terms of the sale and the price of fruits determined by fruit processing indus­try. The price for most (aside from the raspberries) species of fruit for processing in Poland were negative correlated with the amount of production while the negative sign shows that the increase in fruit harvest was accompanied by the decrease in purchase price of fruit for processing. The results suggest fruit growers the opportunity of impact on price of fruit for processing by controlling the volume of fruit harvest.

The article presents the instruments of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy for the fruit and vegetable market. It provides a detailed analysis of the mechanism of support for soft fruit producers, which was introduced in Poland in 2008. Changes in the area of plantations of raspberries and strawberries, the yield of these fruits and the variability of purchase prices for processing were examined in two periods: 2008-2014 and an equal period before the introduction of this instrument (2001-2007). The index of changes and coefficient of variation were calculated to determine changes in the traits under analysis. The significance of differences in the mean values of the analysed parameters (area, yield, prices) in selected periods was determined by means of the test of significance of differences for dependent samples. Analysis showed that the area of plantations, yield and average purchase prices of raspberries had increased significantly (p < 0.05). There were minimal changes in the plantation area and yield of strawberries. The average purchase prices of strawberries increased, but these changes were not statistically significant. The coefficients of variation in the purchase prices of strawberries and raspberries for processing decreased after the introduction of soft fruit subsidies (2008-2014), in comparison with the period before the introduction of the payments, indicating a stabilisation of prices. However, it is not possible to make a clear association between the introduction of soft fruit subsidies and the stabilisation of purchase prices of strawberries and raspberries for processing.

Celem pracy było zbadanie jak zmieniała się produkcja i eksport owoców, które są domeną polskiej produkcji na rynku międzynarodowym, czyli malin i wiśni, w krajach Europy Wschodniej i Południowej w okresie 2006-2017. Do analizy produkcji owoców wykorzystano dane pochodzące z bazy Faostat, a wielkości eksportu – dane z bazy Comtrade. Przeprowadzona analiza wskazała na rozwój produkcji oraz wzrost eksportu malin w krajach o mniejszym areale upraw tych owoców oraz stabilizację w krajach posiadających dużą powierzchnię upraw malin. W przypadku wiśni, w większości krajów, zarówno o dużej jak i małej powierzchni nasadzeń, potencjał produkcyjny oraz zbiory owoców tego gatunku zmniejszały się. Eksport wiśni zwiększał się szczególnie z krajów o mniejszym potencjale w produkcji wiśni. Rozwój produkcji i eksportu malin z krajów o dotychczas mniejszym potencjale produkcyjnym może w przyszłości stanowić konkurencję dla Polski na rynkach międzynarodowych.

The aim of the study was to identify changes in the area of fruit production in Poland and indicating the development of fruit production. As a result of the analysis, it was found that both the growth of the area of cultivation of fruit, as well as an increase in the participation of the surface of the fruit in the agricultural area, while agricultural area where descending, points to the development of fruit production in the provinces: Lower Silesia, Lublin, Lubusz, Łódź, Masovian, Holly Cross, Warmian-Masurian and West Pomeranian. The development of fruit production in these provinces there has been through increasing the area of growing Apple trees and Raspberry. The most increased the prices of those species whose cultivation area decreased (with the exception of the raspberries).

The aim of the study was to examine the relation between the supply-side factors and the prices of sour cherries for processing in Poland. Analysis of the relation between prices of sour cherries for processing in Poland and the amount of cherry production and export in selected countries was carried out using the correlation coefficients of Pearson and Spearman's. The production of sour cherries in the countries - largest producers and exporters (Hungary, Serbia, Poland) was negatively correlated with the prices of sour cherries for processing in Poland. The production of sour cherries in the countries-importers (Germany, USA) was also negatively correlated with the prices for sour cherry. The relation between the amount of sour cherries export from Hungary, Serbia and Poland and prices for sour cherries in Poland was weak and statistically non-significant. Export volume was negatively correlated with the prices for sour cherries in Poland.