ECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE POLISH FRUIT GROWERS IN THE PERIOD 1999–2009

The paper presented the contemporary situation of the Polish fruit growers. There was displayed an increasing area of fruit production, reaching 331 thousand of hectares in 2009. The attention was paid to domination of apple trees in a structure of varieties, especially such varieties as: Idared, Lobo, Cortland. Moreover, there was presented an income situation of farms with permanent crops (including fruit growers) on the base of the aggregated data of Farm Accountancy Data Network – FADN. There was noticed decrease in average farm income in these group of farms, from 37 thousand zlotys in 2007 to 16 thousand zlotys in 2009 resulting from a smaller value of production and increase in total costs. There was also indicated that income of farmers conducting permanent crops was lower than gained in farms of mixed type of farming.