Rising export opportunities for the UK in Poland

NEW figures released by trade website uktradedata.co.uk reveal that the UK is a major exporter of fresh fish, and exported £597.8m worth in 2013 (up from £319m in 2007).
By far the most significant export destination for UK fish continues to be the United States (£240m) followed by France (£113.6m) and China (£50.3m).
Poland, which is the EU’s sixth largest country, is the UK’s fourth most important market, accounting for £32.4m, ahead of such markets as Ireland (£30.3m) and Spain (£27.1m).
This does not come as a surprise, as the UK has much greater access to the sea than Poland, and this should be a major factor why exporters should further consider Poland as a main export destination.
uktradedata.co.uk is a free website utilising UK Government trade statistics to analyse top export markets for UK products in over 4000 codes, allowing exporters to build up a clear picture of existing demands and markets that the UK could have the potential to do better in.
The site has been built by the British Polish Chamber of Commerce as part of the Overseas Business Network Initiative, which is a new project delivered by UK Trade & Investment to help achieve the Government’s objective of increasing the number of new exporters to 100,000 companies by 2020.
UK waters are filled with the highest-quality cod, bass, salmon, so it is important to export to Poland, a market where fresh fish consumption is growing as people more frequently tend to choose to eat healthier.
‘The UK has a proud tradition as a fishing nation. Many Brits have made a living from the sea, with rural towns and villages depending on the fishing industry,’ said Director of BPCC Trade, Patrick Ney.
‘But our statistical data engines show that the UK makes up just 6.2 per cent of Poland’s overall demand in this sector.
‘Norway is by far the leading nation taking the lion’s share of Poland’s fresh fish import, accounting an impressive £429.5mn out of £541mn in 2013, only then to be followed by Sweden (£45.8mn) and the UK (£33.6M).
‘Fish consumption in Poland is still relatively small in comparison to the EU average due to little accessibility. For years Poland had access to frozen and processed fish, which are much easier to distribute and sell.
‘Currently, fresh fish are available to purchase in bigger supermarket chains. People are more concerned about what they eat, and with the increased access to good quality fresh fish, there are promising trends for the future.
‘Furthermore, the demand for international trade is growing rapidly, with the Polish market not being able to provide enough high quality fresh fish.
‘We strongly encourage UK companies dealing with all elements of the fishing sector to be getting in touch with us to find out how to access the growing demand in Poland.’