DETERMINANTS STARTING PROFESSIONAL GRADUATES OF HIGHER EDUCATION - ANALYSIS AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

Abstract

Starchy potatoes are produced to supply the starch industry, which is quite important economically. This study aimed to identify the differences in spatial distribution of starchy potato crops across cultivated land in different provinces and recognise the interregional differentiation in the fraction of farms growing starch potatoes in Poland. The study refers to 2017, and the data were obtained from Statistics Poland. It was used mathematical methods to calculate two indices for measuring the degree of regional involvement in starchy potato production. The spatial distribution of starchy potato production is illustrated on a choropleth map. It was established, among other things, that the production of starchy potatoes is unevenly distributed among the regions and some regions are highly specialised in such production. The cultivation of starchy potatoes was the most significant in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Zachodniopomorskie and Wielkopolskie Regions. Nearly half of the growers and starchy potato crops come from two regions, Wielkopolskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie. Potatoes for the starch industry are not grown or in small amounts in Poland's south-east areas.