PRODUCTION RESULTS AND EFFICIENCY OF THE AGRIBUSINESS IN THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

The aim of the article is to present the changes observed in the production and income results obtained in the agribusiness of the CEE countries and in the production efficiency in this sector of the economy. Additionally, it has been checked whether the transformations observed in the agribusiness of those countries contribute to the reduction of the development gap towards the EU-15 states. The basic research method was the analysis of inter-branch flows based on input-output tables. The empirical analysis shows that there are development processes underway in the CEE countries, which contribute to the modernization of food production and the emergence of a modern agribusiness. This is accompanied by the decrease in the share of agriculture in total output and national income, and a changing structure of these values. In all the analyzed countries, we observe a continuous rise in labor productivity both in the whole agribusiness and in all its segments. Labor productivity increases both as the result of the growth in the output and income volumes and as the result of a decrease in employment. Nevertheless, the economic distance between CEE countries and the EU-15 remains considerable. Therefore, the development of the agribusiness in those countries should be continuously stimulated by public means, including the funds of the Common Agricultural Policy, but these means should be allocated first of all for the support of the desired structural changes and rising efficiency.