POLAND
For several years fish processing has been among the fastest growing industries in the Polish food sector.
There are 255 processing plants in Poland authorised to export to the EU.
300 to 390 thousand tonnes per year. The value of production has seen significant progress due to the introduction of more and more highly refined products which add proportionately more to the production value. In 2009 the main products by volume from the processing industry were: marinades (21), canned fish (16), smoked fish (23), and fresh and frozen fish fillets (12). The production of traditional salted products for the Polish market has declined significantly, which could be because consumers are seeking to reduce salt consumption.
processing 2004-2006." According IERiGEZ, investment expenditure, aimed mainly at improving competitiveness amounted to nearly PLN240m. The policy of obtaining credits, and subsequently the aid funds, enabled a large number of Polish processing facilities to improve the competitiveness of Polish products on the Community market.
According to the IERiGEZ, the economic situation of the fish 26
Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2011
processing industry been relatively stable and 2009 was be the best year for the industry since Polish accession to the European Union. In the 5 years after accession a significant investment boom has been observed; in 2007-08 alone the value of investments exceeded 250 million zl (EUR64m), four times more than in the years preceding accession. As a result of the pre-accession SAPARD program, in the processing and distribution industries, nearly 120 million zl worth of EU and domestic funds were invested. Significantly higher amounts (273 million zl) were provided by the Sector Operational Programme "Fishing and fish-
Domestic consumption lags the EU average Today the Polish fish processing industry is one of the leaders in Europe and prospects for growth, especially on the common European market are
strong. The export of fish and fish products to EU countries over the last decade has grown steadily and now accounts for over 50 of the sector’s revenue. The value of production in 2009 was a record 4.8 billion zl. However, according to the FAO Poland is among the EU countries with the lowest consumption of fish per capita. While global consumption is approximately 16 kg/ person, and in the EU around 22 kg/person, in Poland for the year 2008 it was about 13.5 kg/ person; and in 2009 it was 13.18 kg/person. However, in recent years consumption in Poland has grown by about 1.5 kg per person. Consumption of fish and fish www.eurofishmagazine.com