Agriculture in Poland

Last updated

Poland's agricultural sector is vital for European and Global market because it produces a variety of agricultural, horticultural and animal origin products. The surface area of agricultural land in Poland is 15.4 million ha, which constitutes nearly 50% of the total area of the country. [1]

Contents

Agriculture in Poland has always been an important part of the country's economy. Out of the 18.727 million hectares (46.28 million acres) of agricultural land (about 60 percent of Poland's total area), 14.413 million hectares (35.62 million acres) were used for crop cultivation, 265 thousand hectares (650 thousand acres) for orchards, and about 4,048,500 hectares (10,004,000 acres) for meadows and pastures in 1989. In most areas, soil and climatic conditions favored a mixed type of farming.

Production

Poland produced in 2018:

In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products. [2]

Types of farming

In 1989 Poland was the second-largest producer of rye and potatoes in the world. The latter were used as vegetables, as fodder for pigs, and in the production of industrial starch and alcohol. The country occupied sixth place in the world in sugar-beet, milk, and pig production. The quantity and quality of agricultural land ensured self-sufficiency and made considerable quantities of various agricultural products and processed foodstuffs available for export.

In 1990 grain production dominated Polish agriculture: the highest yields came from:

Other major crops included potatoes, sugar beet, fodder crops, flax, hops, tobacco, and fruits. Cultivation of corn (maize) expanded during the 1980s but remained limited. The northern and east-central regions of the country mainly offered poorer sandy soils suitable for rye and potatoes.

The richer soils of the central and southern parts of the country, excluding those at higher elevations, made those regions the centers of wheat, sugar beet, hops, and tobacco production. The more accessible land at higher elevations was used to cultivate oats or was left as meadow and pastureland. In 1989 almost half of Poland's arable land was used for the cultivation of the four major grains, another 13 percent grew potatoes, All regions of Poland raised dairy cows, beef cattle, pigs and poultry, and cultivated fruit, usually as an integral part of mixed farming.

Import/Export proportions

In 1990 Poland exported 26 percent of the bacon it produced, as well as 63 percent of the ham, 16 percent of the tinned meat, 10 percent of the poultry, 17 percent of the sugar, and 67 percent of the frozen fruits and vegetables.[ citation needed ]

Organization under state planning

Beginning with de-collectivization in 1956, Poland was the only member of Comecon where the private sector predominated in agriculture. The state maintained indirect control, however, through the state agencies that distributed needed input materials and purchased agricultural produce. Compulsory delivery quotas were maintained for farms until the beginning of the 1970s. The state also retained significant influence on the process of cultivation, restrictions on the size of farms, and limitations on the buying and selling of land. Until the beginning of the 1980s, the allocation system for fertilizers, machines, building materials, fuels, and other inputs discriminated severely against private farmers. As a result of these policies, private farms remained inefficiently small and labor-intensive.

Private and state farms

In 1987 about 2.7 million private farms were in operation. About 57 percent of these were smaller than 5 hectares (12 acres). Of the remaining farms, 25 percent were between 5 and 15 hectares (12 and 37 acres) and 11 percent were between 10 and 15 hectares (25 and 37 acres). Only 7 percent of private farms were larger than 15 hectares (37 acres). Whereas the majority of the private farms were below optimum size, the majority of state farms were excessively large. Only 12 percent of the latter farms were below 200 hectares (494 acres), and 60 percent were larger than 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres).

In 1989 the private sector cultivated 76.2 percent of arable land and provided 79 percent of gross agricultural production. State farms, the main institutional form in state ownership, cultivated 18.8 percent of the total arable land and produced 17.0 percent of gross output. Cooperative farms, the dominant form of state agricultural organization in other East European economies, were not important in Poland. In 1989 they cultivated only 3.8 percent of arable land and contributed 3.9 percent of gross production.

In the 1980s, grain yields and meat output per hectare/per acre were higher in the socialist sector than in the private sector. An important factor in this difference was the more intensive use of fertilizers in state farms. On the other hand, the milk yield per cow was higher in the private sector. From the standpoint of overall performance, the private sector was less material and capital-intensive, and gross production per hectare/acre and the value of product per unit of cost were higher in that sector. Besides being more efficient, private farms were also more flexible in adjusting production to obtain a higher product value.

Postcommunist restructuring

Because of the predominance of private farms in communist Poland, privatization of agriculture was not a major necessity during the reform period, as it was in the other postcommunist countries. Excessively large state farms were to be split into more efficient units and sold; some state farms would be converted into modern agrobusinesses operating as limited stock companies; and a certain number were to be retained as state experimental farms. In all cases, however, rapid modernization and improvement in agrotechnology were urgent requirements.

The streamlining of agriculture faced serious obstacles in the early 1990s, notably because of the existing agrarian structure. Private farm size had to increase to provide farmers a satisfactory level of income and investment. Drastic reduction in the agricultural labor force was also needed. Because unemployment outside agriculture rose in 1991 and 1992, however, only gradual reductions were possible. A satisfactory social safety net and retraining programs for displaced agricultural workers were prerequisites for further reductions in labor. Experts estimated that unemployment on former state farms would reach 70 to 80 percent, meaning about 400,000 lost jobs, once the farms were privatized and streamlined.

Considerable investment is needed to provide adequate agricultural infrastructure, including road improvement, telecommunications, water supply, housing, and amenities. Especially important is establishment of a well-developed, competitive network of suppliers of materials and equipment necessary for modern agricultural production. Equally necessary are commercial firms to purchase agricultural products and provide transportation and storage facilities. In particular, expansion and modernization of the food-processing industry are necessary to strengthen and stabilize demand for agricultural products. The first postcommunist governments prepared agricultural modernization programs, and some financial help was obtained from the World Bank and Western governments for this purpose. Modernization was expected to require several decades, however.

By 1992 nearly all the 3,000 remaining state farms had substantial unpaid bank loans and other liabilities. For this reason, and because the government had not devised usable privatization plans at that point, the Farm Ownership Agency of the State Treasury was authorized to take over all the state farms in 1992. The agency was authorized to lease state farm lands to either Polish or foreign renters, as a temporary measure to ensure continued productivity.

Polish agriculture and EU

Poland as part of the European Union is subject to the CAP. Poland is one of the countries with the most subsidy-efficient farms [3] and least reliant on them for investment. [3]

Pests

By pest

Fusarium

The Luxembourg Microbial Culture Collection's European Fusarium Database has information on Fusarium spp. found in the country by sample date, species, chemotype, and host (and previous crop if known). [4] [5]

Mycobacterium bovis

Krajewska‐Wędzina et al., 2020 developed an assay to diagnose an M. bovis outbreak in alpacas in the country. [6] They also were first to show that alpacas counterattack M. bovis earlier than most hosts, even though the response is not always ultimately successful and M. bovis may still be fatal. [6] This is believed to generalise to all camelids. [6]

By host

Wheat

Rusts

Epidemics are a normal occurrence, along with the rest of Europe. From 1925 to October '65 losses were 14% across the whole country, or 360 thousand metric tons (400 thousand short tons) per annum. [7]

Black/Stem

Rusts cannot overwinter in the country due to the climate. In the epidemics of the 1960s the source of overwintering inoculum was believed to be in the plains of the lower Danube, carried on the wind through Poland and Ukraine as the year went on, and into Scandinavia. [7]

Wheat brown/Brown

Source of the wheat leaf rust/wheat brown rust '58, '59, '61 epidemics unknown. [7]

Yellow/Stripe/Yellow stripe

The '61 epidemic was part of a larger European epidemic, and was due to favorable weather inducing localised buildup and transmission, not long distance transmission. [7]

By year

Inspection

On 28 February 2022 the Chief Inspector (GIORiN) ordered [8] the Main Inspectorate of Plant Health and Seed Inspection  [ pl ] (PIORiN) to indefinitely suspend some inspections. Until further notice the GIORiN ordered no inspections or phytosanitary certificates be required at the Poland–Ukraine border for foods which are:

Additionally the GIORiN ordered that any problems with this policy be resolved as quickly as possible and requested the European Commission implement the same policy at all parts of the EU border with Ukraine.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Russia</span> Agriculture in Russia in the post-Soviet era

Agriculture in Russia is an important part of the economy of the Russian Federation. The agricultural sector survived a severe transition decline in the early 1990s as it struggled to transform from a command economy to a market-oriented system. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, large collective and state farms – the backbone of Soviet agriculture – had to contend with the sudden loss of state-guaranteed marketing and supply channels and a changing legal environment that created pressure for reorganization and restructuring. In less than ten years, livestock inventories declined by half, pulling down demand for feed grains, and the area planted to grains dropped by 25%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Belarus</span> Overview of agriculture in Belarus

Agriculture in Belarus can be divided into two segments: livestock production and crop production. Crop production slightly outweighs livestock production in the country's product mix, accounting for around 55% of gross agricultural output since 1995. Agriculture accounted for 7.9% GDP in 2013, while over the same year that sector accounted for only 3% GDP in the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Iran</span> Economic sector in Iran

Roughly one-third of Iran's total surface area is suited for farmland, but because of poor soil and lack of adequate water distribution in many areas, most of it is not under cultivation. Only 12% of the total land area is under cultivation but less than one-third of the cultivated area is irrigated; the rest is devoted to dryland farming. Some 92 percent of agricultural products depend on water. The western and northwestern portions of the country have the most fertile soils. Iran's food security index stands at around 96 percent.

Agriculture in Uzbekistan employs 28% of the country's labor force and contributes 24% of its GDP. Crop agriculture requires irrigation and occurs mainly in river valleys and oases. Cultivable land is 4.5 million hectares, or about 10% of Uzbekistan's total area, and it has to be shared between crops and cattle. Desert pastures cover fully 50% of the country, but they support only sheep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Kazakhstan</span>

Agriculture in Kazakhstan remains a small scale sector of Kazakhstan's economy. Agriculture's contribution to the GDP is under 10% – it was recorded as 6.7%, and as occupying only 20% of labor. At the same time, more than 70% of its land is occupied in crops and animal husbandry. Compared to North America, a relatively small percentage of land is used for crops, with the percentage being higher in the north of the country. 70% of the agricultural land is permanent pastureland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Mongolia</span>

Agriculture in Mongolia constitutes over 10% of Mongolia's annual gross domestic product and employs one-third of the labor force. However, the high altitude, extreme fluctuation in temperature, long winters, and low precipitation provides limited potential for agricultural development. The growing season is only 95 – 110 days. Because of Mongolia's harsh climate, it is unsuited to most cultivation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Pakistan</span>

Agriculture is considered the backbone of Pakistan's economy, which relies heavily on its major crops. Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. Agriculture accounts for about 18.9% of Pakistan's GDP and employs about 42.3% of the labour force. The most agricultural province is Punjab where wheat & cotton are the most grown. Mango orchards are mostly found in Sindh and Punjab provinces, making it the world's fourth largest producer of mangoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Ethiopia</span> Overview of agriculture in Ethiopia

Agriculture in Ethiopia is the foundation of the country's economy, accounting for half of gross domestic product (GDP), 83.9% of exports, and 80% of total employment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Algeria</span>

Agriculture in Algeria composes 25% of Algeria's economy and 12% of its GDP in 2010. Prior to Algeria’ colonization in 1830, nonindustrial agriculture provided sustenance for its population of approximately 2-3 million. Domestic agriculture production included wheat, barley, citrus fruits, dates, nuts, and olives. After 1830, colonizers introduced 2200 individual farms operated by private sectors. Colonial farmers continued to produce a variety of fruits, nuts, wheat, vegetables. Algeria became a large producer of wine during the late 19th century due to a crop epidemic that spread across France. Algeria's agriculture evolved after independence was achieved in 1962. The industry experienced multiple policy changes modernize and decry on food imports. Today, Algeria's agriculture industry continues to expand modern irrigation and size of cultivable land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Sudan</span> Economic sector in Sudan

Agriculture in Sudan plays an important role in that country's economy. Agriculture and livestock raising are the main sources of livelihood for most of the Sudanese population. It was estimated that, as of 2011, 80 percent of the labor force were employed in that sector, including 84 percent of the women and 64 percent of the men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana production in Belize</span> Overview of banana production in Belize

Banana production in Belize accounted for 16 percent of total Belizean exports in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Armenia</span>

Armenia has 2.1 million hectares of agricultural land, 72% of the country's land area. Most of this, however, is mountain pastures, and cultivable land is 480,000 hectares, or 16% of the country's area. In 2006, 46% of the work force was employed in agriculture, and agriculture contributed 21% of the country's GDP. In 1991 Armenia imported about 65 percent of its food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Morocco</span>

Agriculture in Morocco employs about 40% of the nation's workforce. Thus, it is the largest employer in the country. In the rainy sections of the northwest, barley, wheat, and other cereals can be raised without irrigation. On the Atlantic coast, where there are extensive plains, olives, citrus fruits, and wine grapes are grown, largely with water supplied by artesian wells. Livestock are raised and forests yield cork, cabinet wood, and building materials. Part of the maritime population fishes for its livelihood. Agadir, Essaouira, El Jadida, and Larache are among the important fishing harbors. Both the agriculture and fishing industries are expected to be severely impacted by climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Jordan</span> History of farming in Jordan

Agriculture in Jordan contributed substantially to the economy at the time of Jordan's independence, but it subsequently suffered a decades-long steady decline. In the early 1950s, agriculture constituted almost 40 percent of GNP; on the eve of the Six-Day War, it was 17 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Panama</span> Economic sector in Panama

Agriculture in Panama is an important sector of the Panamanian economy. Major agricultural products include bananas, cocoa beans, coffee, coconuts, timber, beef, chicken, shrimp, corn, potatoes, rice, soybeans, and sugar cane.

In 2021, Germany was the third largest importer and exporter of consumer oriented agricultural products worldwide, and by far the most important European market for foreign producers. The retail market's key characteristics are consolidation, market saturation, strong competition and low prices. Germany is an attractive and cost-efficient location in the center of the EU. While many consumers are very price sensitive, the market also provides many wealthy consumers who follow value-for-money concepts. These consumers are looking for premium quality products and are willing to pay higher prices. Germany still has some of the lowest food prices in Europe, and German citizens spend only about 14 percent of their income on food and beverages. Low food prices are a result of high competition between discounters and the grocery retail sale segment.

Prior to World War II, agriculture in Bulgaria was the leading sector in the Bulgarian economy. In 1939, agriculture contributed 65 percent of Net material product (NMP), and four out of every five Bulgarians were employed in agriculture. The importance and organization of Bulgarian agriculture changed drastically after the war, however. By 1958, the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) had collectivized a high percentage of Bulgarian farms; in the next three decades, the state used various forms of organization to improve productivity, but none succeeded. Meanwhile, private plots remained productive and often alleviated agricultural shortages during the Todor Zhivkov era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Spain</span> Overview of agriculture in Spain

Agriculture in Spain is important to the national economy. The primary sector activities accounting for agriculture, husbandry, fishing and silviculture represented a 2.7% of the Spanish GDP in 2017, with an additional 2.5% represented by the agrofood industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Saudi Arabia</span> Agriculture industry of Saudi Arabia

Agriculture in Saudi Arabia is focused on the export of dates, dairy products, eggs, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, and flowers to markets around the world after achieving self-sufficiency in the production of such products. The government of Saudi Arabia is heavily involved in the agriculture industry and subsidizing corporate farming and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is primarily responsible for agricultural policy. In the private sector, farmers receive long-term interest-free government loans and low-cost water, fuel, electricity, and duty-free imports of raw materials and machinery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Finland</span>

Agriculture in Finland is characterized by the northern climate and self-sufficiency in most major agricultural products. Its economic role is declining in terms of GNP and employment in primary production, but together with the food industry and forestry with which it is linked, it forms a significant part of the Finnish economy. The number of farms has steadily declined for the last decades. Between 2000 and 2012 their number fell from almost 80,000 in 2000 to about 60,000, while the amount of arable land has slightly increased to a total of almost 2.3 million hectares. Agriculture employed 125,000 people in 2010, which is a drop of 30 percent from 2000.

References

  1. ↑ "Agriculture in Poland | EAAP".
  2. ↑ Poland production in 2018, by FAO
  3. 1 2 "FADN data highlights dependence of EU farms on subsidy payments". 12 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "LuxMCC : European Fusarium Database". European Fusarium Database. Luxembourg Microbial Culture Collection . Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  5. ↑ Pasquali, Matias; Beyer, Marco; Logrieco, Antonio; Audenaert, Kris; Balmas, Virgilio; Basler, Ryan; Boutigny, Anne-Laure; Chrpová, Jana; Czembor, Elżbieta; Gagkaeva, Tatiana; González-Jaén, María T.; Hofgaard, Ingerd S.; Köycü, Nagehan D.; Hoffmann, Lucien; Lević, Jelena; Marin, Patricia; Miedaner, Thomas; Migheli, Quirico; Moretti, Antonio; Müller, Marina E. H.; Munaut, Françoise; Parikka, Päivi; Pallez-Barthel, Marine; Piec, Jonathan; Scauflaire, Jonathan; Scherm, Barbara; Stanković, Slavica; Thrane, Ulf; Uhlig, Silvio; Vanheule, Adriaan; Yli-Mattila, Tapani; Vogelgsang, Susanne (2016-04-06). "A European Database of Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum Trichothecene Genotypes". Frontiers in Microbiology . Frontiers. 7: 406. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00406 . ISSN   1664-302X. PMC   4821861 . PMID   27092107. S2CID   1866403.
  6. 1 2 3
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Zadoks, J. C. (October 1965). "Epidemiology of Wheat Rust in Europe". FAO Plant Protection Bulletin . UN FAO. 13 (5): 29–46. doi:10.1080/05331846709432232. ISSN   0014-5637. OCLC   8413999.
  8. ↑ "DZIAŁANIA PIORIN W ZWIĄZKU Z KONFLIKTEM ZBROJNYM NA UKRAINIE". Main Inspectorate of Plant Health and Seed Inspection  [ pl ] (PIORiN) (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-03-03.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies. Federal Research Division.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.