ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the evolution of Yugoslav agricultural policy and the changing relationship between the dominant private sector and the officially favored public sector. It looks at agricultural performance and the principal factors affecting the ability of the regime to carry out a viable long-term agricultural development policy. Yugoslav efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in bread grains nevertheless have some way to go, especially given the high costs of production. Most Yugoslavs are simply unable to afford meat on a regular basis anymore, and the livestock industry is in serious trouble. One of the most serious aspects of the aging problem in the Yugoslav private sector is the difficulty young adult male peasants are having finding wives. One of the most cogent statements of the dilemma was made by a Yugoslav economist in the authoritative journal Ekonomska politika in April 1982.
