Polish baby milk producer gains access to Egyptian market
The view from Poznań:
Geo-Poland is very glad to have regained access to the Egyptian market. We used to export baby milk there before Egypt introduced the list of the ‘reference countries’. Our Egyptian customers have always been very happy with our products and Egyptian pediatricians have recommended it. We’re glad we can restart our exports to this important market, thanks to the EU Commission and Polish authorities.
Tytus Dobrzyński
Geo-Poland
The company
Established in 1992, Geo-Poland is a Poznań-based family company making baby milk and other infant nutrition products. Employing 70 people, it is a typical ‘hidden champion’ of EU exports, supplying more than 20 markets around the globe and making most of its turnover abroad.
New Egyptian law blocking Polish exports
EU exporters, together with EU Member States, alerted the European Commission to a new Egyptian law on baby milk products. The new law only allowed imports of baby milk from a list of so-called ‘reference countries’. As Poland is not on the list, Geo-Poland could no longer export to Egypt.
EU action brings results
The EU’s Market Access Partnership quickly took action
- The EU’s office in Cairo and Member State embassies raised the problem of the new trade barrier with the Egyptian authorities
- The European Commission took up the issue in its meetings with Egyptian trade officials
- The then Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan raised the point during his visit to Egypt in early 2019.
These efforts proved fruitful: Egypt announced that baby milk from the European Union and exported directly to Egypt could always be eligible for imports, provided the same product was also sold in EU Member States listed as ‘reference countries’ in Egypt. Geo-Poland could once again export to Egypt.
The view of the EU sectorial association
“The European Dairy Association (EDA) is the voice of the milk processing companies, cooperatives and privately owned dairies in the EU. Many of its members are small or medium-sized businesses.
Laurens van Delft, EDA
More than 300,000 people work on milk processing sites and for at least 45,000 of them their jobs depend on exports. Every day, we see the importance of frictionless, open trade.
The European Commission’s help in removing trade barriers, such as Egypt’s import restrictions on baby milk, is very important for European dairy companies. This allows us to concentrate on our core business of providing healthy and nutritious food worldwide.”