Poland has too many farmers

Out of Poland's population employed in agriculture, only 500,000 work full time (over 2,119 hours a year), according to data from statistics office GUS. Excluding the smallest, individually owned farms, this means that employment in agriculture could be 600,000 lower without loss to agricultural production, Dziennik Gazeta Prawnaestimates. Experts say falling employment in the sector results from the introduction of more agricultural machinery and from EU regulations.

Out of Poland's population employed in agriculture, only 500,000 work full time (over 2,119 hours a year), according to data from statistics office GUS. Excluding the smallest, individually owned farms, this means that employment in agriculture could be 600,000 lower without loss to agricultural production, Dziennik Gazeta Prawnaestimates. Experts say falling employment in the sector results from the introduction of more agricultural machinery and from EU regulations.

In the agriculture sector, 681,000 people work only for 3 months a year, another 300,000 work between 3-6 months. Only 196,000 farmers work 9-12 months, according to Central Statistical Office data from 2010.

The average size of a farm in Poland is 6.82 ha, with growing numbers of machinery involved, the need for physical labor shrinks. In the last 8 years, the number of tractors grew around 8 percent and the number of combine harvesters grew by 22.9 percent.

wbj