In Polish agriculture there is simply a serious problem. Seasonal collections, which depend on immigrants for years, become almost impossible to achieve. any Poles no longer want to work physically in the field, Ukrainians – so far the most crucial seasonal workers – are massing out to Germany, and attempts to attract labour from more distant countries are disappointing.
Cezary Sygocki, owner of soft fruit plantations and the work agency CzarSTON, says: “Workers from Africa, Mexico, and Nepal not only do not want to work, they frequently destruct crops. No discipline, no respect for work. In fact, we pay for something that does not happen – for people who only pass through Poland".
A fewer years ago, Sygocki employed over 300 people in the season. Today, he is struggling to organize a squad of 100 people – only thanks to long-standing contacts and built from scratch infrastructure for accommodation and organization of work.
Generation change: Poles do not return to fields
The phenomenon of Poles' departure from seasonal works began respective years ago. The younger generation does not want to take on physical hard work, especially at the rates they consider low. Even those with no higher education would alternatively effort their strength in services or emigration than bend over strawberries or blueberries.
The fact that field work is seasonal and very demanding does not aid – it only lasts for a fewer months, and the weather and pace find how much you actually earn. It's besides much uncertainty for many.
Ukrainians are leaving – and it's hard to be surprised
Until recently, Ukrainians were the primary labour force in Polish agriculture. Busy, inexpensive, loyal – for many growers they were the foundation of the activity. But the war changed everything. After the Russian invasion, thousands of Ukrainians left for the West utilizing simplified support procedures and programs. Many of them went to Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain – where wages are higher and employment conditions are more stable.
Today, Ukrainians who are inactive ready to work in Poland have completely different expectations. As Alex Kartsel of EWL Group points out, more and more of them anticipate a net wage of PLN 30 per hr – while 2 to 3 years ago they agreed to work for half of this rate. For growers, it's an impenetrable barrier. Agriculture does not make profits specified as manufacture or construction.
Statistics: who actually works in Poland?
According to the Central Statistical Office, in September 2024 more than 1.05 million foreigners worked in Poland – 6.8% of the full labour market. The largest group were Ukrainians (779 thousand) and Belarusians (135 thousand). However, the number of workers from Asia and Latin America continues to grow.
Between January and June 2024, the number of work permits for Colombian citizens increased by 337%, for Nepalis by 46%, and for Filipinos by 60%. Poland is trying to attract people from places where work is simply a deficit commodity, and income is many times lower than in Europe. But – as the practice shows – the anticipation of coming alone is not enough. What matters is the quality of work and the willingness to be truly involved.
What's not working? Planters talk plainly
Zigocki is not the only planter to complain about the current system. Many of his colleagues in the manufacture talk about the same thing: immigrants from outside Europe frequently come to Poland with the intention of rapidly transferring to the West. For them, Poland is just a transfer point, and seasonal work is treated as an emergency option – not the main objective.
There are besides curiosities: companies pay for work permits, organize transport and accommodation, and erstwhile immigrants come to the country... They're disappearing. They do not take up work, search another activities or – most frequently – leave further. And it's all in legal procedures.
“I pay for a man who never showed up in the field. He came through our door, got the papers and went to Berlin. This is absurd," comments Sigocki.
The government must step in.
Planters call for systemic solutions. presently the full burden of recruitment, legalization and logistics falls on their shoulders. Sigocki proposes that the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture should establish peculiar support programmes for farms employing foreigners. There is besides a request for greater control from the Ministry of abroad Affairs, peculiarly in terms of surveillance of arrival objectives.
"We can't go on in the dark. The hiring of foreigners must make sense – and for them, and for us. It's gambling today. We're wasting time, money and crops," says Sigocki.
Farmers would besides like a safety strategy – e.g. a bailout or a refund mechanics – which would let them to recover costs in case the individual fails to work.
What next with Polish agriculture?
If the situation does not change, the effects will be felt not only in the countryside but besides in the cities. Prices for fruit and vegetables can emergence dramatically, as an expanding share of the harvest will simply not be collected. Already, there are situations where hosts leave rows of strawberries in the field due to the fact that they are not worth collecting.
This means financial losses, wasted food and expanding force on prices in stores. In the long term, smaller farms may be liquidated, which cannot last without reliable labour.
Seasonal work as a combined vessel system
Experts indicate that the current situation is simply a consequence of many years of negligence. Poland did not build a stable, sustainable strategy of employing foreigners. Temporary and provisional solutions dominate. There is simply a deficiency of a central strategy that combines the interests of the economy, employers and immigrants.
It is not about beginning borders without control – it is about creating mechanisms that truly work. 1 that rewards hardworking and reliable people, and eliminates pathologies and abuse.
Alternatives? Automation and education
Some farmers effort to invest in automation. Harvest machines, fruit ripening monitoring systems, sorting robots – all this slow enters the Polish market. But for many farms, they are inactive besides expensive, not adapted to the specifics of local crops.
At the same time, there are voices that it is worth starting an educational run – to convince young people that agricultural work can be valuable, modern and stable. But it's a long-term process. present we gotta solve problems here and now. Farmers do not ask for luxury – they just want their work not to go for nothing. present – without people – they will not collect even half of what ripens on their fields. And that means that shortly we will all feel the effects of this ignored disaster.
