Importance of the Agricultural Property Agency in trading in agricultural property and shaping the competitiveness of Polish agriculture

Abstract

The Agricultural Property Agency pursues activities related to the management of state property, resulting from agricultural policy. Given the regulations of the Act on shaping the agricultural system, it is an institution which was assigned a leading role in trading in land and consequently in creating the development of agriculture. Therefore, the role of the Agency in the creation and functioning of the agricultural land market, in the improvement of agricultural structures, was examined. The analysis was twofold and covered: the impact of the Agency’s activities on transformations of the area structure resulting from the development of State Treasury land and from the Act on shaping the agricultural system. Conclusions were drawn based on the Agency’s activity reports and the literature. The results reveal the Agency’s positive contribution to the creation of the agricultural land market and the improvement of the area structure. This impact was noted in areas abundant in Treasury land. Pursuant to the Act on shaping the agricultural system, the Agency was authorised in 2003 to supervise private land trading. State intervention restricts the freedom of private land trading, but gives the opportunity to intervene in land sales. The Agency may thus contribute to reducing agricultural development barriers also in areas where state land is scarce and where farms’ area is highly fragmented. This contribution should be deemed to be small so far. This is due to forms of transferring property rights, practical principles for enforcing statutory provisions.