Jakarta. Poland is currently in talks with the Indonesian government to expand its list of agrifood export to include beef and apples, according to a Polish diplomat.

Polish government data showed that Poland's exports to Indonesia reached $107 million in 2021. In the same year, the Southeast Asian country's exports to Poland were worth over $1 billion, marking a tenfold difference.

The bilateral trade between Indonesia and Poland still has plenty of room for growth, especially in the agrifood sector. The embassy today is negotiating with the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry to have more of its agrifood products exported to Indonesia.

"We are delighted that we have concluded [the negotiations] for access of Polish apples to Indonesia. We hope [Polish apples] will be present soon in Indonesia," Piotr Firlus, the deputy head of mission at the Polish Embassy in Jakarta, told a media briefing on Thursday.

Poland is Europe’s largest producer of apples, accounting for 24 percent of the fruit production in the region. In 2021, Poland exported 860,000 tons of apples worth $330 million. The embassy's data shows Belarus is Poland’s largest apple export market. Asian countries such as China, India, Vietnam, and Singapore are buying Polish apples.

Another potential Polish agrifood export is beef. About 92 percent of Polish beef exports are going to the European Union. The competitive price of Polish live cattle helped drive the country's beef exports, Firlus told reporters.

“We began the consultations for beef in 2018. We are still in contact with the Agriculture Ministry to this day,” Firlus said.

“Aside from beef and apples, we are waiting for the final confirmation for blueberries,” he added.

Polish agrifood exports to Indonesia at present include cheese and processed foods such as cookies.

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