December 3, 2013

In the first half of 2013, Poland's poultry production increased by 6% to 793,000 tonnes, according to a report released by state-run Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics (IERiGZ).

About 64.8% of the Polish production was earmarked for the domestic market, while the remaining 35.2% or 279,000 tonnes, was intended for export sales. The EU is currently the largest market for Poland's poultry, with as much as 90% of the country's production sold in its member states. Turkey meat accounts for about 15% of the country's total poultry production.

Poland imported about 20,000 tonnes of poultry from January to June 2013. The 534,000 tonnes sold in the Polish market represented an increase of 3.7% over the same period a year earlier, according to data released by the Institute. Moreover, the report forecasts that Poland's poultry production will increase further by 7% during the second half of this year compared with the same period last year.

For January to June of 2014, the Institute's report forecasts a 7.5% increase in the country's poultry production which is expected to reach about 850,000 tonnes.

According to data from the country's Central Statistical Office (GUS), the rise in poultry consumption in Poland is accompanied by a continuing decline in pork consumption which still remains the country's most popular meat. In 2012, an average Pole consumed about 26.1 kilogrammes of poultry, up 4.4% over 2011, and 39.2 kilogrammes of pork, a decrease of 7.8%.

Consumption of beef, at about 1.6 kilogrammes per person, was down 23.8% compared with 2011. In total, an average Pole consumed some 71 kilogrammes of meat in 2012, which represented a decrease of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to the GUS.

Should the Institute's forecast for 2014 prove to be correct, next year, an average Pole will consume 27.5 kilogrammes of poultry, an increase of 2% compared with 2013.

Based in Warsaw, Poland, the IERiGZ was established in 1950. The Institute's research activities are focused on agricultural production, food economy and economic activities in Poland's rural areas.