Evolution of the role and significance of agriculture for the Polish economy in 1989-2014

Socio-economic transformation in the food sector started earlier than in other sectors of the economy, i.e. in the summer of 1989 along with implementation of market solutions. The first period of the transformation was marked by a significant drop in all economic and social indices in agriculture, including a severe drop in the farmers’ income. A change in the status quo began at the turn of the 20th and 21st century. However, only after Poland’s accession to the EU the food sector has started to develop considerably faster. The co-financing of the sector from the national budget and the EU funds fostered a substantial modernisation of agribusiness thus influencing the improvement in the income situation of agricultural producers. As a result of the processes of adjustment to the market conditions and membership in the EU, the size and structure of agricultural production changed significantly. In 2003, after nearly 50 years of a negative balance in foreign trade in agri-food products, Poland became a major player on the world market