– I have nothing to live for. – said in interview with TOK FM radio Mr. Krzysztof, a farmer from Opole Lubelski, who is simply a court judge. Spring frost, and then hail, ruined his plantation. The losses were estimated at 90 percent. To this day, he has received no compensation. His case is not isolated. Natural disasters are just the tip of the iceberg.
Farmers are preparing for fresh protests. In addition to natural disasters, their concerns are scandalously low buying prices, again triggered by legal and semi-legal imports of agricultural produce from Ukraine. The sugar beet sector is peculiarly acute.
The beet prices proposed by the purchasers for the 2025/2026 period at EUR 30 per tonne are a shock to growers. In erstwhile campaigns, the price was EUR 46,5 and EUR 45 per tonne. If the proposed simplification occurs, another sector of Polish agricultural production will fall.
– The last twelve months have been a hard time for Polish farmers, due to the fact that the home marketplace was disrupted first by a pandemic, then by Russia's aggression to Ukraine, by the highly advanced inflation and liberalization of trade with Ukraine. The acquisition prices of agricultural crops have returned to those prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the prices of inputs, including fertilisers, plant protection products or energy, stay very high. This led to a sharp decrease in the profitability of most agricultural production sectors – says the Wielkopolska Agricultural Chamber.
– According to our monthly calculations, for a long time the only crop to be profitable was sugar beet cultivation – emphasizes the WIR. The agricultural government so took with large concern information from sugar beet growers, who inform our home that negotiations are presently underway for the cultivation of sugar beet by any sugar companies operating in Poland for the 2025/2026 season.
The price offered by the companies at EUR 30 per tonne is simply a shock to sugar beet growers. In addition, the fresh models of the contracts contain respective elements which may affect subsequent reductions in buying-in prices. These include the content in alpha-amine nitrogen beets, which is primarily dependent on weather.
The Polish Agricultural Chamber has prepared simulations including a price of EUR 30 per tonne and after this price is based on the calculations, it appears that the cultivation of sugar beet will become unprofitable and that all 1ha of growers will gotta pay about PLN 1000.
– Production costs are constantly increasing, and their burden is mainly on growers who request to find ways to keep production profitability despite ever-increasing expenditure. This requires them to find fresh and more efficient methods of increasing and investing in modern technologies. Over the last twelve seasons, sugar beet cultivation has yielded crucial profits up to respective 1000 PLN/ha – notes the Wielkopolska Agricultural Chamber.
A year ago we faced large agricultural protests across Poland. Farmers demanded, among others, the suspension of the Green Deal.
– The case was partially settled, but only partially. We inactive don't know where we stand. The European Union has not withdrawn from the Green Deal. Besides, many farmers are inactive in a dramatic financial situation, any sale the land and halt increasing it due to the fact that they do not see hope. That's why any of us think in the fall, erstwhile we're done in the field, we're not going to start another protest. said a farmer from Zamość.
– I have always felt that it is essential to make a firm appeal for my own, and I have a long line behind me. What in the fall? It appears that there will be rather a strong presence of farmers. Is this gonna be a protest or any another form? I will not say this yet, but farmers are beginning to be afraid about what will happen next. due to the fact that you gotta have income to invest, make decisions, buy fertilizer. And any farmers have no income – says Antoni Skura, Vice president of the Lublin Agricultural Chamber.
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