Eggs are important in Poland, especially during Easter

Easter in Poland is a very colorful time with numerous religious and folk customs. One of them is decorating eggs. Eggs are always present on the table during Easter in Poland and symbolize life and rebirth. It is a Polish custom to ornament eggs using different techniques.

colorful eggs for Easter and a chick
Beeld: ©Pexels

Statistically, Poles eat 169-162 chicken eggs per year, which is an average from the last five years. However, the level of consumption is significantly lower than even a decade ago, when consumption exceeded 200 units per year.

European Union market with 9% share in EU production. Domestic production of consumer hen eggs shows a growing trend. According to the available data of the Central Statistical Office in Poland, 10.3 billion eggs were produced in Poland in 2019, 2% more than in 2018 and 13% more than in 2016. The largest number of laying hen farms is located in the Wielkopolskie and Mazowieckie voivodships (central Poland). The supply of eggs from these two regions is responsible for nearly 60% of the total domestic production.

colorful eggs for Easter
Beeld: ©Pexels

The large domestic production makes Poland one of the largest exporters in the European Union. According to preliminary data of the Ministry of Finance, in 2020 the revenues obtained by domestic entrepreneurs from the export of eggs amounted to EUR 203 million compared to EUR 226 million in 2019. Sales to the EU market generated EUR 188 million which is 93% of export revenues. Domestic entrepreneurs obtained the highest revenues from the export of eggs to the Netherlands (EUR 54 million), Germany (EUR 39 million), Hungary (EUR 19 million) and Italy (EUR 15 million). The lower revenues from the export of eggs in 2020 compared to 2019 were caused by restrictions in international trade and the not functioning  HoReCa companies due to coronavirus pandemic.

Source: KOWR, GUS