SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE POLISH, GERMAN AND RUSSIAN SYSTEMS

The condition of Polish agriculture influences the whole economy. The political transformation has been seen in agriculture as an economic pressure. This has led to a decrease in the profitability of agriculture by 50 percent over the last 10 years. Production is still gradually falling [see www.samoobrona.org.pl, 2005]. Interest in financial Instruments of support, as well as the policy pursued in other countries, is justifiable. A comparison between Polish and German agriculture is interesting, as Germany was a EU member when the common agricultural policy was introduced, and most of Polish farms were privately owned in socialist times. The case study of Russia, which conducts its own, independent agricultural policy, shows problems with transforming large-scale State farming. Although most of Polish farms are smali and private, it shows difficulties Polish state farms faced and why they without state help collapsed