Piątnica to sell eco-milk

The dairy cooperative with revenue of PLN 847 million is planning on introducing ecological milk in its product offer. Ecological certificates for their dairy farmers are due at the end of 2014, wrote Puls Biznesu. Milk production in Poland is worth more than PLN 30 billion. According to Organic Farmy Zdrowia, ecological products in Poland amount to about PLN 700 million in sales. “Eco-farming is difficult, less efficient and doesn’t allow for economies of scale,” said Grażyna Nachtman from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics. A lot of small farmers sell their eco-milk at market prices. Dairy coop Jasienica Rosielna pays its farmers 10-15 percent more for eco-milk. “Prices are bound to increase. With subsidies eco-production is profitable,” said Kazimierz Śnieżek, manager at Jasienica Rosielna. Poles are becoming more conscientious regarding the quality of their food, said Iwona Chromnik, plant director at Ekołukta. “TV programs which talk about healthy living (and eating) have helped us,” she said. The seasonality and short shelf-life of eco-milk are some of the factors working against growth in the sector.