Poland: 2019 Direct Versus Indirect Trade--Poland's Hidden Market for US Agriculture

In 2019, U.S. food and agricultural trade to Poland surpassed $500 million for the first time. Although Poland is an important and growing market for U.S. food and agriculture, export data from USDA’s Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) do not adequately capture U.S. exports bound for the Poland. Because GATS data only measures trade until the port of entry within the European Union’s (EU) common market, it neglects significant volumes of trade directly distributed throughout the EU from large Western European ports. As a result, some U.S. stakeholders may undervalue the full potential of Poland and other Eastern European markets. For Poland, this dynamic becomes evident when directly comparing GATS with Poland’s Central Statistical Office (CSO) trade data, which measures trade based on country of origin, and therefore captures direct and indirect U.S. trade.

Poland: 2019 Direct Versus Indirect Trade--Poland's Hidden Market for US Agriculture