Still, per capita income remains below the EU average. Other problems include an inefficient commercial court system, rigid labour legislation and a heavy tax system.
A look at Poland’s oils and fats sector shows that rapeseed oil is the frontrunner in the production and consumption of vegetable oils. According to Oil World, the country produced nearly one million tonnes of rapeseed oil in 2014 and consumed around 738,000 tonnes of this. That year too, palm oil at 214,500 tonnes, replaced lard for the first time as the second-highest consumed product (Figure 1).
In 2014, palm oil was the primary vegetable oil imported, accounting for almost 32% of the oils and fats import volume. Much of this originated via the EU28, mainly Germany and the Netherlands. Malaysia has been able since 2010 to increase its participation slightly (Figure 2).
Imports of palm-based products grew about tenfold between 2012 and 2014 (Figure 3) – it doubled for palm oil; more than quadrupled for palm kernel oil; and skyrocketed for ‘Other Products’ from 101 tonnes in 2012 to an astounding 77,115 tonnes in 2014. Compared to 2013, this was an increase of more than 213%.
While palm oil imports into the EU28 grew at a rate of 22% from 2009 to 2013, they rose no less than 77% in the case of Poland. A range of positive factors speaks for greater trade engagement between Malaysia and Poland, considered one of the most robust economies in central Europe.
Poland has managed to sail through the Euro crisis relatively unscathed. Its good infrastructure makes it a preferred place for international trade, in particular via the large and modern port of Gdansk on the Baltic Sea. Strategically located in the heart of Europe, the port lends itself as a gateway for palm oil imports – both to eastern and central Europe, and to the EU.
