The importance of China in Polish trade in agri-food products

ABSTRACT

The aim of the article is to present changes in the bilateral trade in agri-food products between Poland and China, and to identify the main opportunities and threats to the development of Polish agri-food exports to this market. The article is based on data received from the Central Statistical Office, WITS-Comtrade and Eurostat-Comext databases. The analysis covers the value and commodity structure of bilateral trade in agri-food products as well as indicators of the degree of adjustment of Polish agri-food exports to China's import demand. The research results indicate that Polish trade in agri-food products with China is characterized by a constant deficit, and the export of agri-food products from Poland to China focuses on several groups of products. Sales of Polish food on the Chinese market reached a record value of EUR 207 million in 2019, but it constituted only 0.7% of the total Polish agri-food exports. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused additional logistical difficulties, increased production and transport costs, which directly translated into lower profitability and a decrease in exports in the next two years.