PRODUCTION AND MARKET OF ECOLOGICAL PRODUCT IN POLAND

Abstract

The goal of this study is to evaluate the condition and development prospects of ecological farming and its product market in Poland. Sources of data used for the analysis included: IJHARS (Agicultural and Food Quality Inspection) national reports, literature, and information provided by experts and consumers. The time frame of the research covers the years 2004–2020. The date of Poland's accession to the EU 2004, and subsequent formal-legal factors were taken into consideration to schedule the time frame of the research. The trend was analyzed in reference to the number of ecological farms and the area of ecological farmlands as well as ecological manufacturers in 2004–2016. The method of the “least squares” was used in the study. Parameters of the trend function equation (linear, square) were determined by means of this method. MS Excel calculation sheet was used as a calculation tool. The value of determination coefficients indicated good consistence of the determined trend lines with empirical data. A distinctive linear trend with upward tendency in the number of ecological manufacturers was found in the analysed period of time. According to the determined trend function, the number of ecological manufacturers could be more than 764 in 2020, that is, reach the expected value according to the assumptions of the Framework Action Plan for Ecological Agriculture and Food in Poland for the years 2014–2020. The analyses were confronted with the experts' assessment results carried out by the method of online survey and consumers'' assessment by the method of group interview carried out in 2017. Two measurement instruments were prepared, that is, a survey questionnaire and interview scenario. It needs to be noted that although during the last 3 years a drop in eco-production was reported, development of ecological agriculture and its product market in Poland is possible, on condition that the government policy in this field is consistent and predictable, the society becomes richer and the ecological awareness of both farmers and consumers improves.

Keywords: organic agriculture, organic food, ecological food, organic market, organic marketing, development, trend function, evolution trend

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.043