Page:NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 18; CZECHOSLOVAKIA; THE ECONOMY CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110014-8.pdf/11

 APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110014-8

breadgrain production did not approach the prewar level until the bumper crop year of 1966. Much of Czechoslovakia's wheat is used as feed; its use for flour is limited by its low quality and by the inadequacy of storage and transport facilities. Much of the wheat used in bread is imported from the U.S.S.R.

Other major crops include fodder, which accounted for about 30% of the cultivated land in 1972; potatoes, 6%; and industrial crops, primarily sugar beets, 6%. Although less than 0.2% of the total cultivated land is sown in hops, they remain important to the economy because of their export potential and use in the beer industry. Production of vegetables is insufficient to supply domestic needs, and large quantities must be imported, generally from Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Until 1966-67, yields of labor-intensive crops, e.g., sugar beets and potatoes, were below the 1934-38 average; on the other hand, the average yields of the major grain crops have trended upward because of better seed selection and the increased use of fertilizers.

(3) Livestock—Livestock production has been the object of an intensive development program since the First Five Year Plan (1951-55). In 1972 livestock production showed an increase of 54% over the value in 1936, while crops produced exceeded the 1936 level by less than 11%. The increase in livestock production is largely the result of an increase in the number of hogs and increasing productivity in other livestock lines. In 1972, hog numbers were approximately 94% higher than prewar numbers (Figure 3). The total number of cattle increased by 4%, but the number of cows decreased by over 20%. Milk yields have increased, however, so that total milk production currently exceeds prewar production. The number of horses also declined considerably during the period as the level of tractor power increased. Paralleling the changes in the composition of the livestock population, the production of pork as a share of an expanding total red meat supply (live weight) increased from less than 40% in 1936 to a peak of 60% in 1965, dropping to 56% by 1970-72.

(4) Manpower and investment—Czechoslovak agriculture has suffered in the post-World War II period from pressure for collectivization and lack of economic support. The agricultural labor force fell from 42% of the total labor force in 1948 to approximately 18% in 1972. The movement of the young to urban centers has been very great. As early as 1960, two-thirds of the people working in agriculture were over 47 years of age. Mechanization of agriculture has not progressed fast enough to offset this drain on manpower or to further support large-scale farming operations. By 1967 large-scale mechanized technology was applied in the harvesting of only 87% of the area sown in grain. 34% of that sown in sugar beets, and 47% of that sown in fodder. An even smaller share of livestock operations was mechanized. Until the late 1950's, investment in agriculture was not proportionate to the sector's contribution to GNP. In 1948, when agriculture and forestry accounted for about 22% of GNP, it received only 8% of the

5

APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110014-8