First Polish apples on way to Vietnam
The Polish apple sector is making inroads in developing alternative markets, with a new trade deal about to start supplying apples to Vietnam. 
In late September, a Vietnamese delegation visited Polish orchards to take stock of production processes and investigate plant health protocols with a view to granting market access.
PolandÂ’'s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has now announced the imminent start of apple exports to Vietnam after Polish and Vietnamese phytosanitary documents were signed during a ceremony last week.
“"I am very glad we have signed documents for the way forward. I hope that the Polish apples will go to our market quickly,”" Vietnam’ese ambassador Pham Kien Thiet told a press conference.
The trade deal follows months of work in Poland'Â’s apple sector trying to find alternative markets to mitigate the loss of the Russian market following the import ban which began last summer.
As the world'Â’s leading apple exporter, Poland has been hit hard since the embargo as Russia historically absorbed approximately 700,000 metric tons (MT) annually.
In the build up to the new deal, Vietnam was identified as one of 13 priority markets for export potential with supply estimates between 75,000MT and 100,000MT per year.
During the press briefing, Poland'Â’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Marek Sawicki stressed that although the Russian embargo continues to bite, efforts to open new markets are gathering pace.
Negotiations continue with Saudi Arabia, India and Indonesia, while a Chinese inspection team recently visited Poland to monitor plant health and potential phytosanitary risks.
Poland is also one of seven EU countries seeking access to the U.S. and Mexican markets for apples and pears, while market access was fast-tracked during successful negotiations in Canada late last year.
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