Gdańsk reclaims its role as Europe's granary. First stage of the Agro Terminal completed

The Port of Gdańsk has completed the first stage of the Gdańsk Agro Terminal (GAT), one of the most significant investments of recent years in Poland's agri-food and logistics sector. The project is being delivered by Port Gdański Eksploatacja S.A., part of the capital group of the Port of Gdańsk Authority. Once the second stage is finished, planned for 2029, the terminal will reach an annual handling capacity of 3 million tonnes, positioning it as one of the leading grain hubs on the Baltic.

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28 july 2026   |   22:37   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

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A terminal that is one hundred percent Polish

At Monday's opening ceremony, government representatives made clear that the investment carries a strategic weight going well beyond logistics alone.

Arkadiusz Marchewka, deputy minister of infrastructure, said the project would not only boost Poland's export potential but above all strengthen the country's food security. He stressed that modern ports are no longer just about the economy or energy, but also about military and food security - the areas where Poland is now investing record funds. He also underlined that this is a one hundred percent Polish terminal, built by Port Gdański Eksploatacja, a company owned by the Port of Gdańsk Authority and thus by the State Treasury. As he noted, the completion of the first stage coincides with the start of the next one - the construction of a battery of silos that will further increase handling capacity - in a project of strategic importance delivered in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of State Assets.

A hall without a single column and half a million tonnes of throughput

The first stage of the investment comprised the construction of a flat storage warehouse on the Szczecińskie Quay, covering nearly 6,500 square metres with a volume of more than 93,000 cubic metres. The facility offers a storage capacity of 30,000 tonnes and a handling capacity of 0.5 million tonnes. It can serve up to 120 vehicles a day, with a daily handling throughput of 8,000 tonnes.

The standout feature of the 140-metre hall is its modern single-span steel structure with a clear span of almost 50 metres and no internal columns, allowing the entire floor area to be used efficiently and cargo operations to run without obstruction. Mobile walls allow the building to be divided into two or three independent storage zones, adapting it to different types of goods. The investment was delivered under a design and build formula, at a cost of nearly 14 million złoty, with Premium Quality Care as the contractor.

The second stage envisages a complex of 24 flat-bottom silos on the Wiślane Quay, integrated with a highly automated handling installation serving vessels as well as rail and road transport. The technologies applied are intended to reduce emissions, lower the risk of fires and explosions, and improve the quality of stored products. Once completed, GAT's total storage capacity will rise to 150,000 tonnes, with annual handling capacity reaching 3 million tonnes.

A grain surplus looking for a way to the world

The GAT project fits into a broader strategy of strengthening the competitiveness of Polish agriculture. Poland has maintained a structural grain surplus for years - around 35-36 million tonnes of annual production against domestic consumption of 25-26 million tonnes. Seaborne grain exports are currently estimated at 6-8 million tonnes a year, of which roughly two thirds pass through Polish ports, chiefly the Port of Gdynia.

Małgorzata Gromadzka, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development, described the terminal as a long-awaited investment, noting that the grain surpluses of recent years have shown how much Poland needs modern infrastructure enabling efficient exports. She pointed to new directions opening up in Asia and Africa, where Polish grain has considerable potential, and revealed that work is already under way on the first shipment to Egypt, with further cargoes planned for Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Adam Nowak, undersecretary of state at the agriculture ministry, highlighted the growing role of logistics in the sector's competitiveness. Around 40 percent of Polish agricultural production goes to export, he noted, and competition today plays out not only between farmers and agri-food businesses, but also between ports. The ministry, as he put it, acts as a trade representative for Polish food, building relationships and opening markets - but for exports to be effective, fast and efficient logistics must be in place.

A remaining challenge is the development of inland infrastructure, particularly rail transport, which would help reduce the high costs of moving grain to the coast, especially from south-eastern Poland.

It was all here in the fifteenth century

Government officials also framed the investment as a return to Gdańsk's historical role as one of Europe's most important grain trading centres. Grzegorz Wrona, deputy minister of state assets, recalled that as early as the fifteenth century grain flowed from Gdańsk to the world, and above all to Europe - today, he argued, Poland is simply returning to proven patterns. He added that it is no longer just farmers or companies that compete with one another, but entire economies, and that their strength determines both citizens' prosperity and the pace of GDP growth.

Gdańsk mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz pointed to the importance of diversification and of strengthening the state's resilience, thanking the project partners for opening new export directions and for investments enhancing the country's economic and energy security through the Port of Gdańsk.

A new export gateway for Polish agri-food

For the port itself, GAT means further diversification of cargo groups and a stronger position in the region. Dorota Pyć, president of the Port of Gdańsk Authority, said the terminal strengthens Poland's competitiveness and food security, as well as the port's role as the main export gateway for Polish agri-food products and an important link in European and global supply chains.

Ultimately, GAT is to become an integrated logistics complex comprising not only silos and warehouses, but also a universal ship loading berth, installations for handling rail wagons and road transport, and a system of technological gantries linking all facilities into a single operational organism.

Andrzej Kuźmicz, president of Port Gdański Eksploatacja, called the investment strategically justified and essential for the growth of Polish agricultural exports, arguing that the new terminal will reinforce the Port of Gdańsk's position as a key grain and feed export centre in the Baltic Sea region. He also pointed to cargo diversification - the ability to handle not only grain but also meal and pellets - as a factor translating into greater operational stability.

Grain in the Port of Gdańsk is currently handled by eight operators: Port Gdański Eksploatacja, GBT, Magrol, Gdańskie Młyny, Handel i Minerały, Jargut, Speed and Fast Track. In 2025, agri cargo volumes reached 2.5 million tonnes, and figures for the first half of this year point to further growth - 1.3 million tonnes, up 13.3 percent on the same period a year earlier.

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