Foreigners fail to take advantage of booming land prices

Furthermore, the prices differ depending on the region. The highest prices are in Wielkopolska (north-west), where agriculture has always been the most developed. A hectare of land there costs about zl.10,000 (EUR 2,500, compared to EUR 2,100 in Sweden in 2004). The cheapest soil is in the Swietokrzyskie, Lubuskie and Podkarpackie voivodships, where prices fluctuate around zl.4,000 per 1ha. Small plots are the most expensive as these can be easily converted to building plots. Despite rapidly rising land prices, international interest has been moderate and fears that foreigners would buy out Polish soil once the country joined the EU proved to be false. (Rzeczpospolita, July 8-9, pp.A1, B1) J.L.