Last year, the biggest share of Poland’s poultry meat exports were destined for other European Union countries, representing 80% of the total volume and 90% of the total amount. Compared with 2013, the volume of Polish poultry meat exports to these markets was up 18%, and its total worth increased by 21%.
Among the EU member states, the largest markets for Poland’s poultry meat were Germany, with 17% of the total volume, the UK, with an 8% stake, the Czech Republic, with a share of 9%, and France, with 6%.
In terms of its total imports, Germany represented as much as 25% of the €1.4bn generated by exports of Polish poultry meat last year, the ARR said.
While local poultry meat exporters reported increased sales in EU markets, last year they significantly reduced their presence in Eastern Europe, as indicated by data from the ARR. In 2014 the country’s poultry meat exporters sold a relatively minor share of their foreign sales in the markets of the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) which consists of post-Soviet countries.
"The CIS states imported minor amounts of Polish poultry meat, at 35,000 tonnes, which represented about 5% of the total volume, and its worth totalled €21m," the state-run agency said in a market report.
Among these countries, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine led the way, although only the latter country increased its imports of Polish poultry meat in 2014.
Outside the EU, other significant foreign markets for local poultry meat industry players are located in Africa and Asia. These include Benin, with 4% of the volume, Hong Kong, with a stake of 4%, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a 1% share, and China, which also held a stake of 1%, according to figures released by the ARR.