Record Egyptian Frozen Strawberry Imports Flood Polish Market

Egypt has established a dominant position in the Polish frozen strawberry market, with imports reaching record levels in 2025. According to data from EastFruit, Poland imported 62,200 tons of Egyptian frozen strawberries in 2025, a volume that represents 2.2 times the amount imported in 2024.

The scale of these imports exceeds the combined shipments from Egypt to Poland for the 2023 and 2024 periods. The financial value of these imports in 2025 was more than EUR 70 million, with some reports valuing the shipments at over US$76 million.

Market Share and Supply Dynamics

Egypt’s share of Poland’s total frozen strawberry imports rose to 73.6% in 2025, increasing from 69.4% the previous year. This growth has pushed other traditional suppliers further down the rankings.

Germany ranked as the second-largest supplier with 8,200 tons, accounting for 9.7% of imports. China surged to third place with 6,300 tons, representing 7.5% of the market and more than tripling its previous year’s shipments.

Other contributors included the Netherlands, which supplied 2,300 tons, and Ukraine, which saw a significant reduction in exports to 1,200 tons, falling from its previous position as a top-three supplier.

Egyptian strawberries are supplied to the Polish market year-round, with peak volumes occurring between April and September. In 2025, July imports peaked at 9,500 tons, which was 2.6 times higher than July 2024. May and June also saw strong volumes of 9,200 and 9,300 tons, respectively.

Domestic Production Crisis in Poland

The surge in imports follows severe challenges faced by Poland’s domestic strawberry industry in 2025. Unseasonal frosts in May sharply reduced field strawberry harvests, creating a supply deficit.

Economic pressures further eroded the competitiveness of domestic production. Rising labor and energy costs made it difficult for Polish producers to compete with international pricing.

To maintain supply contracts with Western retailers and sustain re-export volumes, Polish processors were forced to turn to imports. Egyptian strawberries served as a critical lifeline to ensure capacity utilization and the fulfillment of existing contracts during the domestic crisis.

Structural Shift in Processing Strategy

The reliance on Egyptian imports is viewed by some analysts as a permanent structural shift rather than a temporary seasonal anomaly. Polish processing facilities are transitioning toward higher value-added products, including:

• Berry blends
• Purées
• Specialized food ingredients

This industrial transformation requires stable, year-round raw material flows that domestic production could not guarantee. The ability of Egypt to scale shipments has allowed Polish processors to capitalize on cost-advantage arbitrage against the high energy and labor cost base in Poland.

This growth in the Polish market is part of a broader international expansion for Egypt, which also increased its exports to China, Turkey, and Germany in 2025.