These are the famous words written by Józef Wybicki
in 1797 and are the incipit of the national anthem of Poland.
“Cultivation, old civilization, beauty, history! Surprising
turnings of streets, shapes of venerable cottages, lovely aged eaves,
unexpected and gossamer turrets, steeples, the gloss, the antiquity! Gardens.
Whoever speaks of Paris has never seen Warsaw. Whoever yearns for an
aristocratic sensibility let him switch on the great light of Warsaw.” Cynthia
Ozick
The ministry of economy of Poland organized a Buyers Trade
Mission for food sector to Poland from India in May’2015.
The delegation landed in the Capital, the largest city, the
financial and economic hub of Poland, Warsaw. The population of Poland is
around 48 million and is a Christian country in Central Europe.
The mission to the 'God's Playground' started with a visit
to the Warsaw Uprising Museum and visit to the old town at Warsaw on the 11th.
A six minute 3 D film viewing at the Museum, took the viewer’s back to the
Warsaw before the war and the devastation caused by the war.
After a good acclimatization on the first day, the entrepreneurs
had the opportunity of B2B meetings with Polish companies at the Office of the
Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship in Warsaw on the 2nd day.
An Introduction to India and Indian culture was shared by Ms.
Shilpa Venugopol, an Indian living in Poland for over four years for the
benefit of the Polish business representatives who were new to India.
Various cooperation opportunities for Indian companies were
presented by the Polish entrepreneurs. Export potential and prospects of
cooperation for food industry were also discussed. The participating Polish companies
shared their product samples and encouraged the Indian importers to establish
business contacts with them.
Indo-Polish relations have generally been close and
friendly, characterized by understanding and cooperation on international
front. However, it seemed that there is a lack of understanding on the Polish
side regarding the statutory requirements in India in the food sector which are
controlled by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The
Indian market for packaged food is still in its nascent stage with the
stringent standards laid out by the FSSAI on one hand and the lack of efficient
cold chain logistics on the other.
The Indian delegation travelled to the city of Gorzów
Wielkopolski and visited the Kaskat Dairy, a well-established, reliable
supplier of powdered milk products and Łużyckie Praliny, a manufacturer of
chocolate pralines on day 3.
The hectic schedule continued on day 4 (14th May) with an
introduction and visit to Kostrzyn - Służbice Special Economic Zone where the
Indian entrepreneurs had the opportunity to understand the advantages and
nuances of setting up business in a SEZ in Poland. The perspective from an
Indian entrepreneur, Mr. Mukesh Patani already
operating in the zone was particularly of interest to all and the session saw a
lot of sharing amongst the participants.
The short lunch meeting with Mr. Dariusz Lesicki, the Vice
Mayor of the city of Zielona Góra, was a pleasant one. It was great to see a
senior politician welcome the Indian delegation to his city and discuss the
various business opportunities available for the Indian businessmen in Poland.
The last day of the mission, 15th was the most eventful with
over 20 Polish companies participating in B2B meeting with the Indian
entrepreneurs at the Millennium Plaza in Warsaw, with breathtaking views. The
meeting started with a short introduction of the program by Ms. Justyna
Markowicz, Agencja M Promotion, Communication & PR Specialist at the
Program 'Export Stimulation on selected markets'. Each participant was given 2
minutes to introduce his/ her company following which the entrepreneurs had
individual B2B meetings.
The B2B meetings gave an opportunity for the participating
companies to discuss business potential, share their experiences and showcase
their products paving the path to future cooperation.
After successful negotiations and promises to keep in touch
and explore the opportunities further it was time to say goodbye finally and
the participants left for India on the 16th, boarding their flights from the
Warsaw Chopin Airport, named after the famous Polish composer, Chopin.
The Indian and Polish entrepreneurs who participated in the
program were happy about the prospects of the future cooperation and
established new and potential contacts with experts in the industry. The
mission schedule provided enough opportunities for networking on both sides and
provided new business contacts and the possibility of extending Indo- Polish
trade relations.
On the way to the city of Gorzów, the members had the
opportunity to visit the famous; Christ the King, which at 33 meters is the
tallest statue of Jesus in the world (Christ the Redeemer, at Rio stands at 30
meters). It is noteworthy that the reformist Pope, John Paul II, is a native of
Poland.
The government of Poland announced the ‘’Go India’’
programme for Polish enterprises, as a response to the "Make in
India" campaign, launched by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The
’Go India’ programme is expected to provide an institutional framework and
financial incentives for promoting Polish enterprises in Indian markets. It
also aims to support India’s imports from Poland.
It was heartening to see that the official travel portal of Poland
has a separate section for the Indian travelers and also attracts Bollywood
directors to come and shoot movies in Poland. One of the recent Indian movies
made in Poland in “Kick”
The aim of the “Made in Poland” programme is to strengthen
the image of Poland as a reliable source for food products.
Poland has a highly developed printed news industry, with
many daily newspapers but all in Polish; it is difficult to come across any English
newspapers.
Though most of the traditional Polish food is Non
Vegetarian, thankfully there were enough choices for the visiting Indian
delegation, most of whom were vegetarians.
The National Stadium in Warsaw, standing tall and noticeable
from afar, hosts many Football (soccer) events which is one of country's most
popular sports.
One can come across the statues of famous personalities from
Poland, like Nicolaus Copernicus; the Renaissance mathematician and astronomer
who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the
Earth at its center and the Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, who discovered the mysterious
element radium.
The entrepreneurs returned to India with their intellect
enlightened and hearts warmed.
And said Poland to them: "Whoever comes to me, will be
free and equal, because I am freedom." Adam Mickiewicz