Agricultural Strategy for Poland: Report of the Polish European Community, World Bank Task Force

摘要

Poland embarked on the road toward a market economy with its economic reform program of January 1990, aimed at stabilizing the macroeconomy. The agricultural sector, because of its social and economic importance, has the potential to be either a brake or an engine for the reform program. The report is an attempt to define such a strategy for agriculture. It is articulated around a few basic ideas: The immediate problems of agriculture reside mostly in the agribusiness sector and not on the farms themselves; The key to solving agribusiness problems lies in the privatization and demonopolization process pursued by the government; Rural development is indispensable to help the rural sector keep its population, develop employment, and relieve pressures on the urban sector until the latter adjusts to the new economy; Technical improvements at farm levels are possible but will occur only if the proper environment is created; and While the government must not interfere with production and marketing, it has an essential role to play in creating favorable conditions for agricultural and rural development.