The agricultural sector of Slovakia on the eve of EU accession

A team of economists surveys Slovakia's agriculture, which continues to exhibit mediocre performance on the eve of that country's accession to the European Union. The paper, utilizing national statistics as well as financial data collected from 1,200 corporate and 850 individual farms, evaluates the country's current agricultural policies, which emphasize self-sufficiency and state intervention, reflecting a weak political commitment to market-based agriculture. Also discussed is the limited progress in land privatization and farm restructuring, the preservation of inefficient and unprofitable large farms, as well as related rural impediments such as inadequate transport infrastructure and a shortage of skilled labor.