Record turnout at 29th Kielce Agri-Tech Fair with Dutch Pavilion highlight

The 29th edition of the International Fair of Agricultural Technology in Kielce goes down as a record in terms of the number of visitors. In this edition, 520 companies from 17 countries presented, (in 2023 there were 450 from 15 countries) including the Dutch Pavilion on the PIB Soil Improvement Poland.

two persons talking at the stand
Beeld: ©A. Murawska

The Pavilion was organized by WTC Twente and supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Poland.

In total this year's entire exhibition took up 70 000 sqm (7 exhibition halls). The exhibition from March 8 to 10 was seen by nearly 71 000 people from Poland and abroad - about 2 000 more than last year.

Dutch stand at Agrotech Kielce fair in Poland with bunch of tulips in the front
Beeld: ©A. Murawska

PIB Soil Improvement Poland

The consortium includes Agriwatch, BOS, Farmax, Homburg, Rinagro, RMA, Vandinter Semo and the recently joined Protix.

PIB Soil Improvement Poland aims to nurture collaboration between Dutch and Polish businesses and knowledge institutes. Earlier projects between our two countries took place in 2020 and 2021 to improve soil conditions for agriculture and horticulture, and with good results.

This cluster of companies offer specialized and complementary expertise to support Polish farmers in a wide range of areas:

  • Providing integrated analysis and tailored advice, by using remote sensing techniques and geographical information systems. This will enable farmers to use their land more effectively.
  • Applying innovative techniques, such as mixing and spading to improve crop rooting. This enables the soil to absorb and retain water more efficiently, which is essential, especially during extreme drought.
  • Defining future cropping plans and rotation. And using the right seeds and crops combination, biological symbiosis and soil treatment. This will enable farmers to revitalize soil conditions and improve the level of soil nutrients and organic matter.

During the first day of the fair, a network event was held at the NL Pavilion stand, during which you could learn more about the project, the companies included in the PiB group, and exchange Dutch-Polish experiences and more.

Polish soil characteristics and quality

Soil quality in Poland is among the lowest in Europe. The production potential of an average hectare of arable land in Poland is equivalent to 0.6 hectare in European Union countries. More details about the characteristics and quality of the soil and the agricultural sector in general can be found in the booklet "Agriculture in Poland. Soil characteristics and quality". It was developed during the initial project to give insight to the Dutch stakeholders on the current situation in Poland.