Agri-food potential of the agricultural sector of the economies of Poland and Ukraine

Abstract

Goal. Applying theoretical and methodological approaches, analyze the potential of the agrarian sector of the economies of Ukraine and Poland, determine the directions of partnership cooperation between the two states, as well as available production resources, economic opportunities, and foreign economic priorities. Methods. General scientific methods were used, in particular: historical, logical, systemic, and structural analysis, analysis and synthesis of economic processes and phenomena, methods of quantitative and qualitative comparison, statistical summary, and grouping. The materials of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the Statistical Yearbook of Agriculture of Poland, the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture of Poland, and data of the European Commission for 2022–2024 were analyzed. Results. The differences in the organization and working conditions of Polish and Ukrainian farmers were determined. Conditions of formation and development, and peculiarities of use of agrarian potential of Ukraine in the process of economic transformation and agrarian reform were studied. The problems that hinder the process of harmonization of the agrarian sector of Ukraine with the requirements of the European Union, including insufficient state support for producers of agri-food products, inconsistency with the principles and norms of the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, were singled out. Conclusions. Given the prospects of Ukraine’s membership in the EU, Polish farmers will have to take into account the emergence of a powerful competitor that will not only work in the same markets as Polish enterprises but will also have access to the same means of supporting agri-food production. The indisputable superiority of Ukraine over Poland is shown in terms of the size of agricultural land and arable land, as well as in the quality of soils and the climate favorable for agriculture. It is proven that the difference in the size of agricultural structures will contribute to the potential superiority of Ukrainian producers due to savings in the scale of production. However, the level of state support in Ukraine is significantly lower than in Poland, and is actually reduced to the provision of soft loans and grants, which do not provide sufficient incentives for the sustainable development of farms.