a thorough review of the
situation in the spring of 1972, the Committee for State Control issued
a release that concluded by stating that the reasons for the problems
were analyzed in detail and that, after discussion, specific proposals
were made to the appropriate ministries.

ORGANIZATION

The organizational structure of agriculture in all its aspects is in a
state of transition, which will not be completed for several years. The
reorganization was decided upon by the Central Committee of the BKP
(Bulgarian Communist Party--see Glossary) in April 1970 on the
initiative of Zhivkov. The latest of several laws and decrees published
in this context appeared in June 1972 with an effective date of January
1, 1973. The new organizational policy represents a tightening of
central controls over agriculture.

Agroindustrial Complexes

The basic unit in the new organizational system, which is relied upon to
realize the leadership's agricultural policies, is the agroindustrial
complex. The agroindustrial complex is an organization comprising
several previously independent, contiguous collective and (or) state
farms having similar climatic and soil conditions. The complex may also
include other organizations that are engaged in the production,
processing, and distribution of farm products or in other activities
related predominantly to agriculture.

In the fall of 1972 there were 170 agroindustrial complexes formed
through the consolidation of 845 collective farms and 170 state farms;
including the private plots of collective and state farmers, they
contained 92.5 percent of the cultivated land and accounted for 95.4
percent of the farm output. Except for a few experimental units created
in 1969, most agroindustrial complexes were established toward the end
of 1970 and in early 1971. Only a small number of private farms located
in difficult mountain areas remained outside the new system.

The average agroindustrial complex is composed of five or six farms
having a cultivated area variously reported as 59,000 to 68,000 acres
and a permanent work force of about 6,500 people. Although the large
size of the complexes has been questioned by several economists on
grounds of efficiency, Zhivkov was reported to have suggested the
possibility of eventually merging the existing complexes into only
twenty-eight districtwide units.

Types and Aims

The announced purpose of the reorganization is to increase productivity
throu