State-owned farms in the process of systemic transformation

摘要

The specific feature of Poland's agriculture in the period before 1990 was the important role of state-owned farms (PGRs) in the development of rural areas and farming. In the 1980s, after PGRs had obtained independence and after profit had been introduced as the main index of their effectiveness, they gradually began to shape production in a more efficient way and withdraw from non-production activities. Thanks to this, in the late 1980s the results posted by PGRs were not worse, but even better in the case of some indicators, than those achieved in other forms of farming. The early 1990s, however, proved to be a critical period for PGRs. The first stage of market reforms resulted in the dramatic deterioration of the conditions of functioning offarms, regardless of the form of ownership. PGRs suffered the most because they were faced with the necessity to adjust to the conditions of the liberal market economy at the time of severe criticism of the state ownership of farms and glorification of the peasant economy. Under the circumstances the financial condition of PGRs deteriorated rapidly and they began to limit their activities. A radical change in the position and role of state-owned farms in the development of rural areas and agriculture took place when a law was introduced, which provided for formal and legal liquidation of PGRs, followed by their restructuring and privatisation through sale or lease. The law envisaged the possibility of operation of state-owned farms only in form of treasury-owned companies engaging in creative growing and breeding of plants and animals, and the possibility of a temporary operation in the form of treasury-owned companies of large PGRs, consisting of a number of co-operating entities, which were difficult to restructure and privatise. In the small sector of state-run farms shaped in this way the process of restructuring and privatisation continues. Currently, state-controlled farms play an important, although diminishing, role in the creative growing and breeding of plants and animals. However, even these farms are to be privatised within ten years. The state will be the owner of only a certain part of arable land that has not been distributed for good, including land on which lease has ended, and it will be obliged to operate farms on this land via the Agency for Agricultural Property of the State Treasury (AWRSP) until the moment of their privatisation.