In the paper the changes in the marginal productivity and elasticity of factors in French agricultural production has been investigated. It was shown that in years 1980−1999 the technical progress caused the growth of marginal productivity of labour, but the marginal productivity of capital has did not indicated considerable changes. Moreover, it was established that elasticity of substitution between labour and capital was a decreasing function of time.

The aim of the paper was to analyze the variability of edible potato market prices and the level of direct surplus in potato production in the Siedlce region, at three production technologies: extensive, half-intensive and intensive. The direct surplus was calculated according to the European Union standards. The level of edible potato market prices in the examined period proved a marked relation between surplus and price. High prices in the autumn of 2001 and spring of 2002 resulted from the market reaction on very small potato tuber yields. High prices in the autumn of 2002 could follow from the decreasing potato cultivation area. The most stable potato prices were observed in the season of 2002/2003. The research carried out proved that the outlay level significantly influenced the economic effects of potato production. Increasing yields and direct surplus per 1 hectare followed the growing potato cultivation intensification. The best economic effect per 1 hectare was possible to be obtained by producers at the yield of 300 dt per hectare (intensive technology), independent of the price relations in the examined seasons.

The paper contains structure area statistical analysis of farms in administrative districts of Małopolska voivodeship in 2002. On the grounds of taxonomic methods there were separated five similar groups of administrative districts, which describe spatial diversification of examined structure. For each group of administrative districts one representative was chosen and next there was shown some changes, which happened in districts--representatives in period of 1996–2002. The directions of structure changes in most of distinguished districts are essentially consistent with nation-wide tendencies (increase participation of farms with area of 1–5ha, increase – although very insignificant – participation of farms with area of 10ha and more, increase participation of farms with area of 5–10 ha).

The aim of the paper was to present conditions of enterprises development on the basis of Staroźreby county. Farmers running non agriculture activity were questioned. Non-agriculture enterprise development creates the economy system changes. Small enterprise can make the role of catalyst in village development. Searching for alternative sources of income in agriculture and in other areas is a factor, which stabilize financial situation of rural areas inhabitants. Small enterprise survival depends of having economic resources, efectivnes of management and socio-ecvonomic conditions. More than half of them stop activity in their first years of exsistance.

The aim of this elaboration was the evaluation of economic effectiveness of mineral mixtures, composed according to the authors’ original recipes, balancing mineral nutrition of cows. The investigations were carried out within 90 days of summer feeding in eight dairy cow barns, using either traditional (4 objects, 4878 kg yearly milk yield) or intensive (4 objects, 7651 kg) model of feeding. The economic analysis of the achieved results, using the differential calculation method, took into account only these kinds of the expenditures and effects, which differentiated the compared treatments, excluding the common expenditures and effects. The utilization of the investigated mineral mixtures to the traditional diets increased by 8% milk yield, which made an economic advantage 41.36 zl/head in the investigated period. The replacement of the commercial mineral mixtures used in the barns with intensive feeding model by the mixture of our recipe did not influence significantly milk yield of cows.

As a result of destruction caused by the Second World War, at the end of 1945 the Polish fishing fleet consisted of as few as 46 boats capable of operating. The huge demand for food in Poland and the abundance of the Baltic cod and herring at that time caused the Baltic fleet to dynamically increase, up to about 600 cutters in 1969. As the food supply situation stabilised and the fish stocks were becoming depleted, the number of craft was gradually decreasing, down to the present level of a little more than 400. To increase the cost efficiency of fisheries, the European Union demands a further reduction of the number of boat, by at least 30%, and applies various financial instruments, scrapping craft, particularly those that are more than 30 years old, being a preferred measure. By 2006, 71% of the Polish Baltic craft will reach that age (from 33 to 95% in various fishing ports), so a much heavier reduction of the Polish Baltic fishing fleet should be expected.

This work contains research results concerning insurance companies functioning in agriculture, performed in the period from July to August 2001 on 188 farmers of the kujawsko-pomorskie region. Farmers cooperating with the Insurance Company Agropolisa S.A. (stock company) Bydgoszcz Division took part in this survey. As the results show insurances most often realized by farmers are obligatory, such as insurance of buildings belonging to their farms and OC – farmers’ civil liability insurance. The research reveals that the small number of non-obligatory insurances is closely related to the high rate of insurance premium. Insurance companies are not appreciated by some of the farmers as many of them (40.9%) were not satisfied with their activity. The examined farmers, also the satisfied ones, above all, expect the companies to lower the insurance premium (69.1%) and improve the way of functioning, for example improve access to information (19.1%) and make liquidation of damages more efficient (8.0%). Most of the examined farmers (70.2%) are of the opinion that it would be advisable and necessary to set up an institution dealing with Protection of the Insured People Rights.

In the paper there have been given formulae for risk and return of market portfolio, and, consequently, the range of risk and return variation of any portfolio from the capital market line. There have also been given formulae for composition, risk, and return of such a portfolio, depending on the level of risk aversion, or, as an equivalent, on the level of expectations of an adequate return. Unfortunately, it is impossible to apply the new results to multi-element portfolios. However, such a possibility arises after the introduction of a notion of an arbitrarily small risk portfolio in this paper. Initially, the arbitrary decrease of risk refers to a minimum risk stock portfolio, with a possibility of considering a portfolio with an arbitrary number of stocks. After the inclusion of bonds, the portfolio’s risk may fall even to zero. Due to the short sale, it is also possible (at least, theoretically) to obtain arbitrarily big return.

According to the growing meaning of zucchini and reaction of yields on weeding, in the paper the height of crops depending on weeding term and kind of the bedding was presented. In addition, the profitability analysis of zucchini grown on 1 hectare was made, characterising the income, the index of profitability, the unit cost and the breakeven point with or without own labour capital.

The agriculture has ever determined the basic of existence for rural population. Nowadays situation is different. In period 1988-2002 the percent of farms provide for work in their own farms decrease, the participation of agriculture in creating national product decrease to 2.7% and the crops and the production most of agriculture products decrease in the relation to the period 1988-1991, when the crops and the production of agriculture products increase in the world range. The article shows the analysis of statistical data which confirm the thesis about increasing meaning of agriculture for the rural population existence and rural areas development. They present the necessity to formulate economics policy directed to rural areas population. Proceedings of creating new, adapted to our participation in UE, agriculture policy seems to have fundamental meaning. The agriculture population needs every kind of earning source of incomes.

The aim of the paper was to present common organization of sugar market in the European Union and its functioning after accession in Poland. The main legal and economic instruments on the market were presented as well. More serious changes may be observed in season 2006/07. Some suggestions of changes on sugar market had been shown in Luxembourg, on June 26^th 2003 in a form of three independent scenarios, which will be the basis for EU discussion on the reform.

The paper shows level of labour costs in selected plants cultivation in private farms of Lower Silesia. The main research instruments were technological cards of plants. On that base the cards established labour input. The research embraced period of 1996-2000. Value of labour input can be used as norms of labour costs for private farms situated in lowland part of Lower Silesia.

In the paper the use of ABC and XYZ methods for reserves management in private farms of agricultural type “animals fed with protein fodders” is presented. In the quantitative structure of reserves with the share at the level of about 50% cereals mixed dominated. In the valuable structure of reserves, with similar share, the circulating swine herd dominated. The quantitative and valuable importance of another groups of reserves was not large. There were proposed quantitative and valuable proportions of reserves in farm as follows: group A – 65/70%, group B – 15/20%, group C – 20/10%. The circulating swine herd was classified to the group AX of reserves, the circulating cattle herd was classified to the group BX of reserves while crop protection chemicals and mineral fertilizers were classified to the group CY of reserves.

In the paper there was analysed human factor in agriculture which is responsible for intellectual potential in the countryside. Human factor in agriculture was recognized as the fourth factor beside land, capital and work. Intellectual potential was measured as percentage of population with secondary or high education level. This level in 1996 was 19.9% and after six years 28.8%. Also the economic activity of people connected with agriculture was grown up. The research shows that farmers are better prepared to function in the Common Agricultural Policy.

Chinese fruit industry has undergone dramatic changes since the economic reform. Production of fruit in China grew obviously; in 1998 fruit production reached 54.5 million tons, making China the largest fruit-producing country in the world. Fruit distribution channels have also been improved considerably and the establishment of fruit wholesale markets has significantly facilitated fruit distribution. Consumption patterns have also changed; as family income increases, consumers demand more fruit with high quality, including imported fruit. Also, in recent years, there has been a remarkable increase in China's fruit trade, including both domestic inter-regional trade and foreign trade. This paper analyzes the tendency of consumption and marketing of fruits mainly from 1989-2002 in China, and made comparisons between China and the other countries (such as Poland) for the above items. Main problems of the marketing of fruits in China were discussed, and the developing strategies were suggested.

In the paper, a process of Poland’s Baltic sea fishery adaptation to Common Fisheries Policy of the EU is presented and analysed, according to the European Commission document and realized pre-accession programmes: PHARE and SAPARD. Preparations for using EU funds (FIFG) according to Sectoral Operational Programme (SOP) “Fisheries and Fish Processing 2004-2006” are also considered. An adjustment of Poland’s Baltic sea fishery to the EU conditions have been positively valuated. There may arise problems to use the EU funds according to SOP, especially where private funds for cofinancing are indispensable. Therefore, it is necessary to enable shifting financial means, that could not be used in a given year, for the following years. Moreover, proved with reasons, it is necessary to permit an alteration of financial means between actions within a priority, as well as between priorities.