Ministry orders 82,000 apples for Poland’s EU presidency

Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced a massive order of over 82,000 apples to be served during the country’s six-month presidency of the EU Council.

Apples.

Shutterstock/goszczal

Poland: Europe’s apple kingdom

It’s no secret that when it comes to apple production, Poland reigns supreme in Europe and ranks near the top worldwide. Here are some impressive stats:

• 150,000 hectares of apple orchards
• Over 80,000 orchards in total
• About 4 million tons of apples produced annually
• 817,000 tons exported in 2023

On top of that, Poland cultivates 5,500 hectares of organic apple orchards, yielding 172,000 tons.

W 2023 r. 32% wszystkich jabłek wyprodukowanych w #UE pochodziło z Polski – to aż 3 na każde 10 jabłek.
🇵🇱 jest największym producentem jabłek w 🇪🇺 i czwartym na świecie
🍏 jabłko zostało wybrane oficjalnym owocem polskiej prezydencji w Radzie Unii Europejskiej.#Poland25eu pic.twitter.com/QLUoZPIwkK

— Komisja Europejska (@EUinPL) January 8, 2025

Throwback to 2011: from strawberries to apples

During Poland’s first EU presidency in 2011, strawberries were the star of the show—around three tons of them were served to guests. This time around, Warsaw is shining the spotlight on a new produce hero. Since apples aren’t seasonal like strawberries, they might prove to be an all-year favorite at official gatherings.

(jh)

Source: PAP