Organic Farming Struggles in Poland

WASHINGTON - Jun 19/06 - SNS -- The number of certified organic farms and land under this production regime doubled in Poland in 2005, but it remains insignificant compared to total agriculture in the country.

In a recent report, the U.S. agricultural attache for the country said there are now 7,183 organic farms in Poland with 204,134 hectares under cultivation, accounting for 0.2% of all Polish farms and 0.5% of all farmed land.

"Poland lags behind nearly all DU members when it comes to organic farming," the agricultural attache said. "Only Cyprus and Malta have smaller organic farmed areas and for the entire DU, organic farms account for 1.5% of total farms.

"The value of organic production is quite low, as only a small number of farmers produce commercial quantities. The latest statistics from 2004 indicate that organic production represents only about 0.05% of all agricultural production in Poland."

Meadows and pastures account for over half of the land being organically cultivated in Poland, followed by crops. The major organic crops grown in Poland are potatoes followed by rye and wheat. The highest subsidies for organic farming are paid to farmers with orchards, the lowest to crop farmers. Despite the higher subsidies for orchards, organic crop production is more popular because production costs are lower and return on investment comes quicker, e.g. no waiting for trees to mature.

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