Wozniak Interpoma 2014

Dominik Woźniak speaking at Interpoma 2014

Sales of homegrown apples in Poland have reportedly increased dramatically over the past couple of months, thanks in part to a high-profile campaignto encourage higher consumption of domestic fruit and vegetables.

The campaign, which adopted the #jedzjablka (#eatapples) hashtag on twitter, has been welcomed by Poland’s apple business, which this year faces the tricky task of having to sell one of its largest ever crops despite being banned from Russia in response to EU sanctions imposed over the Ukraine crisis.

“Sales of apples have risen around 15 per cent during September and October,” revealed Dominik Woźniak, chief executive of Polish export company Rajpol.

“Prices have been lower, but the good news is that the fruit is moving. We have some concerns about Idared however because [this variety] is grown for Russia and won’t sell in Poland.”

Back in September, MEP Czesław Adam Siekierski told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that around 700,000 tonnes of the fruit normally shipped to Russia were “stuck” in Poland.