Assessing the Role of the Young Farmer Scheme in the Export Orientation of Greek Agriculture

The present paper attempts to investigate whether the Sub-Measure 6.1 "Start-Up Aid for Young Farmers" payments of the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme have a role to play in explaining Greek farms' export orientation and export performance through a statistical analysis of farm-level data. The results demonstrate considerable differences in farm structures between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries and provide support for the contention that beneficiaries are more likely to operate more productive and economically efficient farms. However, the results also provide a sobering assessment of the role of the young-farmer-related subsidies in stimulating export orientation and export performance.