Summary

The article presents spatial differences in fruit production in Poland during the systemic transformation of the entire economy. Spatial shifts that took place in the proportion of orchards in the total crop area are discussed. Special attention is paid to the identification of areas with a high concentration of fruit farming and to an evaluation of its spatial development.

An analysis of the values of Vielrose’s concentration index and the distribution of orchards in the years 1990-2002 revealed an advancing concentration of fruit farming in Poland. The research also corroborated that the more orchards there had been in a region at the start of the study period, the greater was the increase in orchard area. The increase in the size of fruit farms was especially substantial in communes lying in the biggest orcharding regions.

Unfortunately, the advantages of concentration, i.e. the possibility of creating a properly functioning agricultural market in Poland, have not been fully used yet. Although more than ten years have passed since the start of the economic transformation, the performance of the fruit marketing system has still been unsatisfactory.

The high level of fruit farming concentration has also produced adverse effects. There is too little land in the regions concerned to keep increasing the orchard area, which means higher land prices than in other parts of the country. Besides, over the last few years, the intensification of fruit farming and enlargement of orchards in the conditions of a defective fruit market have stiffened competition among growers.