The cucumber rules supreme in the cuisine of Eastern Europe. No salad is complete without a humble cucumber, which is a staple on any kitchen table across the region. But now a cucumber war has broken out between Poland and Russia, which remains the main supplier of Polish cucumbers.
Russia's oil exports get most of the world's attention, and sanctions, but Poland's import of cucumbers from Russia surged to record levels in early 2025, RIA NOVOSTI reports citing Eurostat data. Polish companies purchased 21,000 tonnes of Russian cucumbers worth €2.7mn in March, according to the report. While not high in nominal terms, the value of imports was up a quarter (25%) in year-on-year terms.
In effect, Russia supplied eight out of ten (83%) of every cucumber on a Polish kitchen table in March, ahead of Turkey, Belarus, and Ukraine, the other supplier of the watery green vegetable. The total volume of Polish cucumber imports reached €3.25mn in that month.
Frustrated Polish cucumber growers are now calling for a blanket ban on Russian imports for both ideological and commercial reasons. How can Poland support Ukraine while at the same time allow Russian and Belarusian products into their market, argue the farmers. These imports are "unfair competition" because Russian producers aren't bound by EU agricultural standards and have access to cheaper energy.
Read more at BNE IntelliNews
