Hot on the heels of a Chinese delegation, Vietnamese officials are in Poland to see if the right production processes are in place to grant market access.

As the world's largest apple exporter that used to have a heavy focus on the Russian market, Poland has been one of the biggest losers from the Russian food import embargo. However, the crisis has prompted intensified negotiations to open new markets around the world.

A Canadian market opening was just one success story, while a substantial amount of market development has taken place in several countries including Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Cyprus. This year, the country has filed risk analysis requests for the possibility of exporting to Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia and Thailand.

Poland is also one of seven European Union countries seeking access to the U.S. and Mexican markets for apples and pears.

In a release, Poland's Chief Inspectorate of Plant Protection and Seeds (PIORIN) said it had invited representatives of Vietnam's Department of Plant Protection for a visit between Sept. 28 and Oct. 3.

PIORIN said the audit was part of an ongoing assessment procedure for risk analysis with the aim of opening up the Vietnamese market to Polish apples. 

The Vietnamese experts have so far held a series of meetings with public administrators, academics and representatives from scientific institutes, as well as fruit producer and exporter associations.

Visits have also been scheduled for the delegation to see apple production, packing and storage operations in the Mazowieckie and Łódź regions.

PIORIN added the delegation would also be checking the phytosanitary and food safety systems in place throughout the Polish apple supply chain.

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