Polish farmers benefit from increased harvests and EU membership in 2004
2004 has been branded a milestone year for Polish farmers, as they noticed improvements in their finances, especially in such sectors as meat and dairy products, attributed greatly to the benefits arising from being part of the Common Agricultural Policy. Polish farmers will also receive approximately PLN8 billion ($2.55 billion) in direct financial aid in 2005, including 60% of the amount sourced from the state budget, according to the Government Centre for Strategic Research.
Harvests in 2004 were up by 24% compared with the previous year, rape farmers cranked out record-high results with 1.5 million tonnes, an 88% increase on 2003.
Pig and cow farmers saw the price of meat rise as supplies of these types of meat dropped in 2004. Poultry producers also saw a year-on-year rise of 8%. Meat farming increased in profitability as significant price differences remain between
In 2004, nearly 1.4 million Polish farmers applied for direct financial aid from the EU. According to Eurostat, Statistical Office of the European Communities, the average farm income rose by 74% in
