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Trends and forecasts
Polish processing
industry applies
state-of-the-art
production technologies
the beginning of the 90s, this Institution took
over more than 4.7 million ha of state owned
land from the Agricultural Property Stock of the
State Treasury. During the process of privatisation,
the Agency has sold over 1.5 million ha. The
current state assets of agricultural property still
includes approximately 2.1 million ha of which
1.6 million ha is being leased. There about 310
thousand ha, mainly of low agricultural usefulness
remaining to be disposed of and under the
management of the agency.
Analysis of the data of the Central Statistic
Office shows that the average price of the arable
land traded privately has significantly grown
in the last years. In 2003, prior to accession,
the price of 1 ha of farmland averaged to PLN
5,753/ha, by 2004 this had increased by over
15% up to PLN 6,634/ha, whereas at the end
of 2010, it now averages PLN 18,000 (Chart 1,
page 61). At the end of 2010, the highest prices
for the farm land were noted in the voivodeships
of Greater Poland and Kujawy-Pomerania
(28,600 and 26,500 PLN/ha, respectively).
A similar increase was observed in the trade
of land of the Agricultural Property Agency.
Before accession in 2003, the average price of
arable land being sold by the APA averaged to
3,737 PLN/ha, and a year later grew by 25%
up to 4,682 PLN/ha. A significant increase in
prices (of 26%) was noted in 2007-2009. On
the other hand, the prices of land being sold
by the APA in 2010 were only 1.3% higher than
those of 2009.
In 2010, the average price of former state
owned land was approximately PLN 15,000
with the highest prices in the voivodeships
of Łódź (PLN 20,724), Opole (PLN 20,271) and
Greater Poland (PLN 19,962), whereas the lowest
levels in Lubuskie (PLN 10,529) and Podlaskie
(PLN 10,994).
Organic agricultural production
Organic farming, as a branch of agricultural
production, since Poland’s accession to the EU,
has shown particular dynamic development.
There are advantageous agricultural and environmental
conditions for organic agriculture
to develop in the Country. The use of chemical
inputs in Polish agriculture has always been
lower than in that of the majority of other European
countries contributing to the organic
quality of production in agriculture and richness
of biodiversity.
Recent development of organic agriculture is
shown to have stable growth dynamics of both
the number of organic holdings and the range
of crops grown organically – Charts 1, 2, page 61.
In 2003, organic farming occupied 61,200 ha
on 2,286 agricultural holdings. Data as of the
end of 2010, shows that the area had grown to
518,500 ha and there were 20,956 organically
registered holdings. The highest numbers of organic
holdings were in the voivodeships of West
Pomerania (2,392), Warmia-Mazury (2,288) and
Lesser Poland (2,183).
In terms of area registered as organically
farmed, in 2010, the largest area of organically
managed farm land was in the West Pomerania
Voivodeship (100,200 ha), Warmia-Mazury
Voivodeship (76,700 ha), Mazovia Voivodeship
(44,700 ha) and the Podlasie Voivodeship
(42,700 ha). The total area of 528,500 ha of organically
managed farm land, in 2010 was 25%
bigger than in 2009.
According to Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection
(IJHARS) data, in 2003-2010, the level
organically managed farm land had increased
8.5 times and, at present, constitutes around
2.8% of the total agricultural area in Poland. The
average area of an organic holdings amounts to
more than 25 ha with the country’s average at
a level of around 10 ha for conventional farm
holdings.
20
Autumn 2011