- Switching to direct sales with retailers and importers brought better margins, but also mandatory audits, certifications, and full digital traceability.
- Electronic treatment records became a legal requirement in Poland from 2026. Marcin was already prepared.
- Farmable automatically tracks sprays, fertilisation, irrigation, and input costs per plot, and generates a complete audit-ready PDF in seconds.
- For the first time, he can see exactly what each hectare costs and earns. Only profitable plots should exist.
A few years ago, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to increase margins on my apples. Everyone around me was talking about quality and investing in production, but the reality was that intermediaries were not willing to pay noticeably more for better fruit.
That is when I decided to try a different approach: gaining direct access to retail chains and foreign importers.
It worked. But I quickly learned that these customers demand far more from their suppliers than local buyers. Yes, the margins are higher, but the price is bureaucracy, certifications, endless audits, and inspections. Everything must be documented. Full traceability is required. Every box entering the cold store must be labelled and tracked.
Before long, even optional certifications like GlobalG.A.P. became mandatory, and electronic spray records were announced as the next legal requirement.
Discovering a better way
In the autumn of 2024, while browsing an American fruit-growing website, I came across information about the Farmable app. Out of pure curiosity, I downloaded it, and suddenly everything clicked.
I realised that fruit growers around the world were facing exactly the same challenges. Audits, certifications, and digital documentation are already standard in Europe, the USA, South Africa, and Australia. And someone had already figured out how to make this work easier using a smartphone.
“Why should Polish fruit growers have worse tools than our Western counterparts?”
Marcin Poplawski, Apple Grower, Poland
One of the best farm investments I have made
Looking back, adopting Farmable was one of the best investments I have made on the farm.
When news emerged that electronic spray records would become mandatory from 2026, I was already fully prepared. Even if regulations change or deadlines move, digital documentation is inevitable, and now it is no longer a problem.
Throughout the entire 2025 season, I kept full electronic treatment records in Farmable. The app automatically calculated:
- Fertilisation costs
- Water consumption for irrigation
- Spraying costs
- Product usage limits
I had a complete treatment history for each plot, including precise cost calculations. For the first time, I truly knew what each hectare was costing me, and earning.
When the ARiMR audit arrived in the summer, all I had to do was click Download report, and within seconds I had a complete PDF ready for the inspector.
Real farm use, real simplicity
During spraying, everyone already has their phone with them. So instead of scribbling notes later, or forgetting altogether, I simply record treatments on the spot.
The app automatically logs:
- Wind speed
- Temperature
- Weather conditions
If you have a weather station, it pulls data directly from it. If not, it uses public weather data. Simple, automatic, reliable.
Then there are the QR code box labels, which provide full traceability: plot, variety, harvest date, treatment history, and fertilisation records, exactly what auditors and retail buyers expect.
Better decisions, higher profitability
All this data can be used to organise sales, track costs, and calculate profit per plot.
This is exactly how Western fruit growers respond to declining profitability: only profitable plots should exist. Profitable fields should earn money, not compensate for losses elsewhere.
With Farmable, I finally have clear numbers that allow me to make real business decisions, not guesses.
Disease monitoring, done properly
Monitoring pests and diseases is mandatory and must justify every spray treatment. In theory, we all inspect orchards. In practice, we often forget to write it down.
But we always have our phones. Now, I simply:
- Take a photo in the app
- Select the plot
- Save the observation
That creates a proper inspection record, which later becomes the legal basis for spraying. Your phone is already in your pocket, it should be a real farm tool.
Frequently asked questions
Are electronic spray records now mandatory in Poland?
Yes, from 2026. But growers supplying retail chains and foreign importers were already required to provide digital traceability before the legal deadline. Farmable covers both requirements in one system.
How quickly can I generate an audit report in Farmable?
Instantly. All treatment records are stored as you log them throughout the season. When an audit arrives, ARiMR, GlobalG.A.P., or retailer inspection, you click Download report and a complete PDF is ready in seconds.
Does Farmable work for other EU countries with digital record-keeping requirements?
Yes. Farmable is used by fruit and vegetable growers across 18 countries, including Germany, Norway, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. The EU mandatory digital spray record requirement takes effect across all member states from 1 January 2027, Farmable is already compliant.