by Hari Yellina

The move comes as Poland is eyeing a greater presence on the Indian market, with Deputy PM and Economy Minister Janusz Piechocinski closing a three-day visit to Gujarat, Monday, with a delegation of almost 25 Polish businesses and government officials.

The announcement was made by Poland’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Tadeusz Nalewajk following talks during the Vibrant Gujarat business summit in Ahmedabad, where a Polish delegation met with Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing, Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Head of the delegation, Deputy PM Piechocinski also met with Indian PM Narendra Modi to discuss the possibility of exporting Polish apples.

Poland’s move on India’s apple market is due to its enormity: the country imports some 200,000 metric tons of the fruit annually, with most coming from the USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Hovever, a large proportion of domestic production goes rotten as there is a lack of funds to store the apples in favourable conditions, Nalewajk said.

Meanwhile, in the first nine months of 2014, trade turnover between Poland and India reached USD 1.9 billion, a rise of 18 percent on the same period in 2013.