At the end of 2025 the total liabilities of farmers-entrepreneurs entered in the National Debt Register amounted to PLN 230.5 million.
The rest of the article below the video:
Although this is less than a year earlier, specialists emphasize that this does not mean an improvement in the financial condition of farms. In fact, the average debt has increased, and in many cases the period of arrears in repayment of liabilities exceeds two years.
According to KRD data, at the end of 2025, there were 3,415 farmer-entrepreneurs in the register, which means a decrease of 5.8%. compared to the previous year. However, a smaller number of entries does not necessarily mean that the situation in the industry is improving.
Read also: Lettuce from an office building is five times more expensive than from the field. Does urban farming make sense?
Katarzyna Wuczkowska, KRD expert, whose words are quoted by Tygodnik Poradnik Rolniczy, points out that many farmers close or suspend their business activity under the NIP number, but continue running the farm as a natural person, incurring liabilities under the PESEL number. Such cases are no longer visible in the registry statistics.
The average farmer's debt exceeded PLN 67,000. zloty
At the end of last year the average debt of a farmer-entrepreneur was PLN 67,503, which means an increase of 0.6%. compared to the previous year.
Experts estimate that although this may be a signal of stabilization, it does not indicate a real improvement in the situation of farms. Attorney Adrian Parol emphasizes that these data do not fully reflect the actual picture of the industry and their interpretation requires caution.
Read also: Ukrainian agriculture is getting closer to EU standards. There is a preliminary agreement
In his opinion, it will be crucial to observe whether the basic economic indicators of farms, such as the ratio of sales prices to production costs and the stability of income, will improve in the following quarters.
Farmers are increasingly in arrears with their debt repayments
An average farmer entered into the KRD delayed repayment of liabilities for an average of 707 days. In the Opole and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships, the average arrears period exceeded even 1,000 days.
The KRD expert explains that such long delays result from the specificity of the industry, where barter settlements and seasonal contracts are often used, and creditors are highly tolerant of delays.
Read also: Report on farmers' income in Poland. “More than three-quarters do not consider ceasing their activity”
However, he points out that two or three years of overdue payments are a serious sign of problems with repayment of receivables. Attorney Parol adds that such long periods of delays may lead some farms to a debt spiral.
Increase in debt in selected regions
Although the total debt of farmers decreased by more than 5% year on year, an increase in liabilities was recorded in some voivodeships. This includes, among others: Lublin, Lubusz, Lesser Poland, Podlaskie, Pomeranian and Silesian voivodeships.
Katarzyna Wuczkowska explains that in regions with a large share of agriculture in the local economy, such as eastern and north-eastern Poland, the total amount of debt naturally also increases.
Read also: Disturbing survey results. Farmers are skeptical about the future of Polish agriculture
This increase may be the result of both the appearance of new debtors and the deepening debt of existing ones, who in difficult years save liquidity with loans or leasing. At the same time, in other regions, some debts are being repaid or restructured, which reduces the total debt.
