At the end of July, representatives of the meat industry met with the Secretaries of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Development and Technology, PAiH and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, according to UPEMI. The meeting was a joint initiative of the Minister of Agriculture, Czesław Siekierski, and the Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry.
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Wider opening of the South Korean market to Polish meat products
The aim of the meeting was to accelerate progress in wider opening of the South Korean market to products offered by the Polish meat industry. Representatives of organizations associating Polish breeders and processors present at the meeting claim that the meeting had a breakthrough formula and they hope that it will bring equally breakthrough results.
South Korea is a very important trading partner for Poland. In 2023, imports from the Republic of Korea to Poland will exceed EUR 8 billion. Our exports to this Asian country amounted to just over EUR 1 billion. It can be seen that the trade balance is definitely more favorable for the Koreans.
"We will buy tanks from you, but you will buy something from us"
Recently, the role of South Korea has increased and changed its character. All this is due to the Polish army's huge orders in the Korean arms sector. The arms purchase contract is worth nearly $20 billion. And this, according to representatives of industry organizations, is where the good news ends.
– For many years we have been calling for strengthening economic diplomacy activities. Until now, the meat industry, like other sectors of agriculture, was supported mainly by the Ministry of Agriculture and PAiH – said Wiesław Różański, president of the Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry.
– Due to the fact that Polish agricultural production constitutes an important part of Polish exports, it should be promoted and supported at every possible step. This should also, and perhaps especially, take place during negotiations of such large contracts as the purchase of weapons from South Korea. We are observing the actions of other EU member states. In such cases, there is a very simple rule: we will buy tanks from you, but you will buy something from us, this is the list of goods we have to offer – he explained.
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It is necessary to involve more than one ministry
Representatives of the meat industry participating in the meeting emphasized that the final success depends on the involvement of more than one ministry on the Polish side. The Ministry of Agriculture itself does not have such capabilities and sometimes knowledge about activities undertaken by other ministries. Mutual support is one of the factors of success. The second is to increase the rank and prestige of the conversations. Negotiating with foreign partners is completely different when we know that the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of National Defense is standing behind the entrepreneurs' backs, as UPEMI emphasizes. It also increases the possibility of putting pressure on the other party to solve many, sometimes mundane problems or obstacles, such as the quickest possible arrangements between veterinary services.
– I sincerely hope that this meeting will initiate a new way of practicing economic diplomacy and will also become an example for other sectors of the Polish economy – said Wiesław Różański. – We should follow the example of countries such as the USA, France and Germany, whose authorities support local enterprises very directly. This happens at every possible level and during every visit abroad.
Large international agreements should also include the export of Polish goods
– In my opinion, it is very important that subsequent large international agreements for Poland's purchase of technology or equipment, not only military, also include the export of Polish goods, including meat products. The best summary of the meeting is the following statement: thank you and we are waiting for more – noted Różański.
The government side was represented at the meeting by secretaries of state Paweł Bejda (Ministry of National Defense), Michał Kołodziejczak (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and representatives of the Ministry of Development and Technology. On the part of the industry organizations, there were representatives of: the Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry (Wiesław Różański and Krzysztof Borkowski), the National Poultry Council (Dariusz Goszczyński), the National Association of Poultry Producers Poldrób (Stefan Chrzanowski), the National Federation of Poultry Breeders and Egg Producers (Paweł Podstawka ), Polish Association of Beef Cattle Producers (Jerzy Wierzbicki).
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