What is it about?

When the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia joined the European Union, farmers were expected to benefit from better access to subsidies, markets and modern technologies. We examined whether cereal farms in these countries became more productive between 2004 and 2017. Productivity increased in the first years after EU accession, but this improvement did not continue. By 2017, productivity was still higher than in 2004 in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, but lower in Slovenia. The pattern was closely linked to technological change: early technological progress was followed by a slowdown or reversal. We also found that farms often struggled to operate at the most efficient scale and did not always use available technologies efficiently. The results suggest that investment and access to technology alone are not enough to sustain productivity growth. Management, farm structure and the effective use of technology also matter.

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Why is it important?

This study compares cereal farms in Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia over the same period using a consistent methodology. It shows that the productivity gains after EU accession were not sustained uniformly, highlighting the importance of efficient technology use and farm structure alongside investment support. The findings are relevant for future CAP reforms and countries preparing for EU accession.

Perspectives

What I find most striking is that EU accession did not lead to a simple, continuous productivity catch-up. The initial gains were real, but they weakened over time. For me, this highlights an important lesson: investment and access to new technology matter, but lasting productivity growth also depends on how effectively farms use those technologies and adapt their organisation and scale.

Professor Imre Fertő
Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem

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This page is a summary of: Has the agricultural productivity increased after European Union enlargements in Central European countries? Evidence from four countries' cereal production, Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika), August 2026, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences,
DOI: 10.17221/156/2023-agricecon.
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