Assessment of Poland food security in the context of agricultural production in 2010–2020

Abstract

This article aims to description food security and its measurement method and analyse the agricultural production status and food self-sufficiency in 2010–2020. Currently, Poland in 2020 ranks 59th globally and fifth in the European Union in terms of utilised agricultural areas. Considering the population of agricultural workers, Poland are the first in the European Union. Results of studies concerning the production and consumption of basic agricultural raw materials indicate that Poland is a country mostly featuring a food production surplus. From 2010 to 2020, its level of self-sufficiency to the extent of basic cereals was variable; however, grain production surplus was recorded in the analysed period. Similar observations were made for the production of potatoes and vegetables. Only in some years did fruit production show a deficit or was at the domestic consumption level. As regards milk and eggs, Poland was self-sufficient in the whole analysed period, and the dynamics of increase in the surplus of milk and eggs was proportional to the 2010 year. From 2010 to 2020, Poland recorded a high surplus of poultry meat and beef that increased every year using a dynamic approach. The level of self-sufficiency to the extent of pork supplies was highly varied. From 2010 to 2015, a deficit occurred that decreased year on year, and from 2018 to 2020, it reached a surplus of 71 000, 62 000 and 40 000 tonnes, respectively. Surveys regarding Poland’s balance of foreign trade in agri-food products did not confirm food self-sufficiency in 2010; however, from 2015 to 2020, the balance was positive and was growing throughout the survey period, which means that Poland exported more agri-food products than it imported. Many households representing the part of the society with the poorest income declare they are not able to eat red meat or poultry every other day. A systematic reduction in the calorific value of food consumed in Polen is also puzzling as lower than the reference (2350 kcal), and in 2019 it reached a distressing daily intake value of 1999 kcal per capita.