National Support Centre for Agriculture

Piotr Kondraciuk began the meeting by presenting the history of Polish agricultural agencies established during the political transformation: the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury (later the Agricultural Property Agency), the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture and the Agricultural Market Agency, and later the National Support Centre for Agriculture, formed by the merger of the Agricultural Property Agency and the Agricultural Market Agency. He discussed their tasks and role in rural transformation on the road to European Union accession, as well as how rural Poland has evolved over the years.

The majority of the discussion focused on the tasks of the National Support Centre for Agriculture, from working with farmers and managing the State Treasury’s Agricultural Property Resources, through ownership supervision of state-owned companies of strategic importance to the national economy and improving the genetic quality of livestock production in Poland, to market mechanisms for agriculture and the agri-food industry. Director Kondraciuk also spoke about the annual Polish Arabian Horse Days and the Pride of Poland auction, which for more than half a century has attracted royalty, international celebrities, and the world's most respected thoroughbred horse breeders to Poland's most important Arabian stud farms. He also briefly outlined the innovation-oriented tasks, such as the passportisation of Polish food. He also explained that KOWR serves as an analytical resource for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and agricultural institutions in connection with the analyses and market reports prepared by the Office of Analysis and Strategy.

The mechanisms discussed in detail at the meeting included European Funds for Food Aid, the School Aid Programme, and Poland Tastes Good, which gave the Serbian guests a comprehensive picture of the support received from KOWR not only by Polish farmers and agricultural producers but also by consumers. Director Kondraciuk explained how the surplus of agri-food production is fostering a shift in consumption profiles, encouraging children, in particular, to consume dairy products, fruit and vegetables through the School Aid Program. He also focused on supporting product exports to foreign markets, which in 2024 amounted to €54 billion, increasing 11-fold over the past two decades. He spoke about direct support for entrepreneurs who, thanks to participation in international trade fairs on every continent, are able to scale their businesses and conquer new markets, becoming ambassadors for Polish healthy and high-quality food.

During the meeting, Serbian journalists repeatedly asked about details relevant to the needs of the Republic of Serbia, including food aid for the poorest, dairy production, changes in the agri-food sector, and restrictions on the sale of agricultural land to foreigners.

The meeting at the KOWR was part of a study visit taking place from November 2-6 this year. It was attended by representatives of radio stations, television stations, industry portals, the press and the state news agency: RTS Radio-televizija. Srbije, Blic, Novinska agency BETA, NOVA, RTV Radio-televizija Vojvodine, Danas, Agrobiznis and AgroSmart, as well as the Serbian-EU programme Puls Evrope – medijske posete EU.