Europe

Poland and the Netherlands collaborating

Soil quality and manure export initiatives

Ever since Poland acceded to the EU in 2004, its economy, including the agriculture sector, has grown so strongly, that Poland now belongs to the largest economies and agricultural producers in the EU. At the same time, the soil of its vast arable land is of relatively poor quality. These two characteristics have inspired the Netherlands Agricultural Network (LAN) team at the Dutch Embassy in Warsaw to initiate a soil quality project in 2022 with Dutch and Polish partners and a manure trade mission in 2025.

Poland is turning into an economic powerhouse, with an average yearly economic growth of 3-4% since 2004 leading to it becoming the 5th economy in the EU. The Polish agricultural sector is diverse, with a mix of crop and livestock production. Poland’s most important agricultural commodities in 2024 were: cereals, potatoes, sugar beets, rapeseed, fruits (apples, soft fruit), vegetables (cabbage, onions, carrots), poultry, pigs, dairy and horticultural products.

The agricultural sector contributed positively to the Polish GDP, with Poland’s agri-exports growing to €55 billion since 2004. Not bad for a country that has a vast agricultural area of over 14 million hectares, but which is simultaneously characterized by limited water resources, relatively low quality of eroded and sandy soil with a low phosphate availability and low fertilizer use. The Polish government is aware of the need to improve soil quality in Poland and, among other things, is working on various programs and scientific projects to support this. In addition, there is a growing awareness among farmers and agricultural producers of the key role that healthy and fertile soil plays in agricultural production.

‘There is a growing awareness among Polish farmers of the key role that healthy soil plays in agricultural production’

PIB: exchanging knowledge and technology

Those characteristics led to the start of a three-year public private Partners in Business (PIB) project which officially launched in November 2022. This PIB aims to improve the soil quality. It is coordinated by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and implemented by the World Trade Center Twente in cooperation with Polish partners and the LAN team at the Dutch Embassy in Warsaw. The goal is mostly to share knowledge and technology through reciprocal visits, participation in fairs, and online dissemination of knowledge to 100.000 Polish farmers. This year, the PIB project will formally end. However, new opportunities for the future are on the horizon. Based on the two years running of this project, one conclusion is that supplementing these activities with a manure export mission fits in well.

The Netherlands stand of the PIB soilproject at the annual AGROSHOW at the Polish Benary — The Dutch stand of the PIB Soil Project at the annual AGROSHOW in Bednary, Poland. Dutch participants present their technology that aims to contribute to better soil quality.

Manure mission: new initiative for 2025

One of the new initiatives organized by the LAN team in Warsaw, which is also very much connected to soil quality, will be the manure trade mission to Poland in the second quarter of 2025. Together with the LAN team, the NCM (the Dutch Knowledge Center for Manure Valorization) will update the manure export manual for Poland. This manual aims to inform interested parties on the possibilities in the manure market in Poland and will be presented during the Manure Processing and Export of Manure Symposium on 20 March, 2025 in Harderwijk in the Netherlands. During this symposium, more information will also be given on the program of the upcoming manure trade mission and how interested parties can register to participate.

The objective of this mission is to increase knowledge about the possibilities for the export of manure among (potential) Dutch stakeholders, and to bring these stakeholders into contact with (potential) Polish stakeholders. This mission can contribute to improving the soil quality for Polish farmers.

a machine at the annual AGROSHOWS in the Polish Bednary — One of the new initiatives organized by the LAN team in Warsaw, which is also very much connected to soil quality, will be the manure trade mission to Poland in the second quarter of 2025.

Learn more about Poland’s agricultural sector

Soil, climatic conditions, and traditions determine the specialization of crop production. The central eastern and northern parts of Poland are mainly used for growing rye, grain, and corn. Orchards can be found particularly in the center and south, while crops that have higher requirements regarding climate, water, and soil quality can mainly be found in the southeast and west of Poland (e.g., sugar beet, wheat, and rapeseed).

Animal production in Poland is regionally differentiated, with 6.3 million bovine animals mostly in the northeast, 9.1 million porcine animals mainly in the center, and 380.4 million poultry, 92.7% of which are chickens, mainly in the west and middle. Due to the relatively limited number of animals with respect to the agricultural area, the use of natural fertilizer (manure) is limited.

In Poland, family farms dominate, but there is a growing trend of consolidation in agriculture. The average size of a farm is 11.5 ha, the number of farms with less than 30 ha decreases, while the number of farms with more than 30 ha increases. Most of the approximately 1.3 million agricultural enterprises are in private ownership (about 91%).

More information

Would you like to know more about the exchange of knowledge and technology between Poland and the Netherlands and the manure mission? You can visit the country page of Poland at the website Agroberichtenbuitenland.nl of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. You can also send an email to the LAN team at the Dutch Embassy in Warsaw: WAR-lvvn@minbuza.nl.