The world’s largest raspberry producers are Russia, Mexico, Serbia, and the United States. Poland is just behind, though, as the fifth-largest producer globally, with a 9 percent share in global production. In the European Union in 2020, Poland was the biggest raspberry producer, with a 51 percent share. Other notable producers were Spain and Portugal.
Raspberries are the third most-produced berries in Poland, just behind strawberries and currants, with a 23 percent share in berry harvest in 2020.
The acreage of raspberries between 2012 and 2020 in Poland amounted to 27 – 30 thousand hectares.
According to Statistics Poland, depending on weather conditions, berry harvests varied from 76 – 78 thousand tons in unproductive years (2015 and 2019) up to 129 thousand tons in the best year, which was 2016.
In 2020, 116 thousand tons of raspberries were gathered in Poland.
Raspberries are difficult fruits to cultivate. This is because, in order to receive high harvest yields, it is necessary to heavily invest in the construction of foil tunnels and irrigation. It is also important to plant those kinds of raspberries which are characterized by their good taste, high fertility, and immunity to diseases.
The average crops in Poland between 2012-2020 amounted to between 2.6 – 4.5 tons per hectare.
The Lubelskie region in the east of the country produces the most raspberries: the harvests from this region from 2012-2019 comprised 71 – 85 percent of Poland’s total production.
A very significant part of Polish raspberry production is exported outside of the country. In the years 2012 – 2020, the export of fresh raspberries comprised 7 – 23 percent of the total harvest. Frozen raspberries amount to 41 – 73 percent of the total yield.
According to the National Center for Agriculture Support, raspberries in Poland are for the most part produced with the processing industry (mainly frozen foods) in mind. The export of frozen raspberries in 2012-2020 amounted to 47 – 64 thousand tons of the fruit.
Poland’s biggest frozen raspberry client was Germany, to which Poland exported 16.3 – 20.9 thousand tons of raspberries (30 – 36 percent of the total export). Other popular clients included Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Belarus, and Sweden.
The export of fresh raspberries happens on a much smaller scale.
Only 8 – 19 thousand tons of fresh raspberries were exported from Poland between 2012 and 2020. Again, Germany was Poland’s biggest client, to which 51 – 63 percent of the total export went to. The Netherlands is also an important client.
