It is in the interest of Poland and Ukraine to cooperate in the field of agriculture and processing, and Poland must learn to compete with Ukrainian food – said participants of the panel held as part of the European Economic Congress in Katowice on Wednesday.
- The European Economic Congress takes place from May 7 to May 9 in Katowice.
- One of the topics in the previous days was Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in the food industry.
- In addition to sessions related to the food business and economic relations, on May 9 there will be two discussions closely related to agriculture.
- The first concerns national agricultural policy in the context of the CAP.
- The topic of the second one is Renewable energy and the agricultural sector.
- Both agricultural sessions start at 11:30 a.m. and will be available on the website farmer.pl
– The nature of a market economy is that all companies compete in the economy and, to some extent, cooperate. I have been cooperating with Ukraine for many years, I import and export, it is a natural partner for me and I really want more and more people in Poland to be convinced that the integration of Ukraine with the European Union is a great opportunity for us – said the president of Makarony. Polish Zenon Daniłowski.
How to effectively compete with Ukraine in the agricultural sector?
In the opinion of the vice-president and general director of the Polish Federation of Food Producers, Andrzej Gantner, Ukraine is a good trade partner because we locate our products there. It will develop its industry, so – he pointed out – we need to consider how to compete to be effective. According to Gantner, bans and restrictions on exports will not help, because Polish and Ukrainian products meet in other markets anyway.
Poland must invest in processing
The dairy industry is interested in cooperation with Ukraine. Director of the Polish Chamber of Milk, Agnieszka Maliszewska, emphasized that this country is a significant market for dairy products, and Polish products have a good reputation, are sold under their own brand, and fetch good prices. However, in her opinion, there will come a time when Ukraine will invest in processing and new technologies to adapt to EU standards. According to her, Poland should participate in these investments.
Szymczeja: There is a lack of Polish investments
Vice-President of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, Dariusz Szymwycha, noted that although Polish products are present on the Ukrainian market, including: dairy products, and trade turnover is growing, but there is a lack of Polish investments in Ukraine.
Approximately 600 Polish companies still operate on the Ukrainian market, Ukrainian entrepreneurship is growing, and after February 2022, approximately 8,000 companies were registered in Poland. various companies and over 50 thousand economic activities – he enumerated.
In his opinion, we still have 5-10 years to become more involved in Ukrainian processing, and Poland’s advantage is European know-how.
Piątkowska about the lack of infrastructure for grain transport
According to the head of the Polish Grain and Feed Chamber, Monika Piątkowska, despite many difficulties on the grain market, Poland has not fully exploited the opportunities to expand its infrastructure. There was such an opportunity in the first year of the war in Ukraine, when “we had to press harder” on the EU, as Romania did, she said.
Poles are worried about their market
The president of the Association of Fruit Growers of the Republic of Poland, Mirosław Maliszewski (MP of PSL – TD) said that research shows that approximately 80 percent Poles believe that imports of agricultural products from Ukraine should be limited because they have disrupted the Polish market. Maliszewski emphasized that this is not due to Poles’ aversion to Ukrainian products, but out of concern for their own market. The MP admitted that the main reason for the destabilization of agricultural markets in the world is Russia, which blocked food exports from Ukraine through Black Sea ports and sent large amounts of its own grain for sale at dumped prices.
The Ukrainian side is well prepared for negotiations, the goal is to reach the EU market, said Maliszewski.
He added that Ukraine currently has access to the EU market, although it does not have to meet various requirements, which is why farmers took to the streets. In his opinion, we need to find methods of economic exchange that would allow us to benefit from cooperation by opening up to competition.
The president of one of the largest Ukrainian agricultural companies, IMC, Alex Lissitsa, pointed out that the problem is that European consumers want to buy cheaply, and on the other hand, the income of agricultural producers is low. In his opinion, a farm with an area of 20 ha cannot be competitive. Lissitsa emphasized that we need to talk to each other, although – as he admitted – currently Ukraine does not need Poland when it comes to exporting grain or other products.
Exporting grain through Odessa is cheaper, and it is also cheaper to export it through Romania, he added. He emphasized, however, that Poland is needed as a transit country for products that are to be sent, for example, to Sweden or Germany, and that one can make money on transit.
Summing up the debate, Andrzej Gantner, director general of the Polish Federation of Food Producers, said that Ukraine would probably be in the EU and it should be treated as a challenge. Poland has time to prepare for this.
We need to look at what we have here in the country – here is an appeal to politicians: stop pressuring the food industry and farmers with taxes, costs, bureaucracy (…) on which we waste a lot of money. Let’s think about how we can be more competitive, he said.
He emphasized that the competitiveness of the sector depends on the conditions that will be created in Poland, including: on the competitiveness of the energy industry, infrastructure, and the existence of food markets. According to Gantner, we need to focus on this, “instead of crying that Ukraine exists at all.”
