Price Support at Any Price? Costs and Benefits of Alternative Agricultural Policies for Poland

Poland's agriculture sector can defend its income only by becoming more efficient-by relying less on price supports and reducing farm employment, among other things. Orlowski argues that Poland must choose an agricultural policy that promotes efficiency, structural change, and adjustment to the new market environment and eventual membership in the European Union. That policy must take into account both the needs of, and the financial constraints on, Polish agriculture. Results of simulation experiments performed with the use of the computable general equilibrium model of the Polish economy suggest that Common Agricultural Policy-type price supports are not the most efficient agricultural policy for Poland. Orlowski discusses alternative policies and scenarios...