| The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies - WIIW |
in German language
SUMMARY
The major instrument of the agricultural reforms in the CEECs was privatization;
by now around 90% of the agricultural land are in private hands. As for
Russia and Ukraine, farming is dominated by large enterprises still characterized
by unclear property rights. Following the 1995 recovery, total agricultural
output in the CEECs stagnated in 1996. In Russia and Ukraine agricultural
production continued to decline. The 1996 agro-food trade balance of the
CEECs was negative, after surpluses in the previous two years. Russia remained
a large agro-food importer. The prospects for the CEECs, with the exception
of Bulgaria, are better than for Russia and Ukraine, where a recovery of
the agricultural sector is not yet in sight.