THE DETERMINANTS OF PROFITABILITY OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION IN THE OPINIONS OF FARMERSIN THE PODLASKIE VOIVODESHIP

The aim of the research paper was to present a character description of organic agriculturalholdings and identify factors affecting profitability of these holdings basing on the opinions of farmersspecializing in such production. The area analyzed in this research was the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Inorder to achieve the aim, various research methods were employed, such as the study of relevant literatureopinion surveys conducted using a questionnaire directed to 101 organic farms (selected randomlyensuring representativeness of results) as well as means of descriptive statistics. The conducted researchindicates that a typical organic farmer in the Podlaskie Voivodeship is 48 years old and has 16 years ofexperience in agricultural holding management. He is also well educated (44% have higher education)and possesses good knowledge about organic agriculture. Almost 80% of analyzed agricultural holdingshave certificates, usually for several products. 51% produce mostly for their own needs, while productionof only every third is for the most part dedicated to market purposes. In 55% of these holdings, productionis oriented mostly towards plant production, whereas 35% is multidirectional. In the majority of farmers’opinions, the economic situation of their holdings is comparable to that of conventional farms. Only everyfifth farmer considers their situation to better. According to the respondents, subsidies from the EuropeanUnion are among the most important factors determining profitability of organic agricultural production.The factors that affect profitability negatively, according to interviewed farmers, are: low sale prices,unfavorable climate conditions, high costs of obtaining certificates and overly extensive bureaucracy