Economy
The Poviat of Suwałki is a typical farming area. The fact is reflected in the Poviat land use structure: arable land - 70%, forests 17%, waters - 8%, other use - 8%.
The soils capability and climactic conditions of the Poviat are below average for Poland, showing distinctly shorter vegetation periods.
The strong variation of land surface causes intensive runoff and irreversible loss of part of the beneficial for agriculture precipitation water. In spite of the difficult agricultural conditions, farms cover 79% of the area of the Poviat.
There are here 5.5 thousand farms of an average size of 15.7ha. The main field of the agricultural economy is production of fodder for animal husbandry, green feed, cereal crops and potatoes. The livestock production is dominated by dairy cattle and pigs.
The local food processing industry is based on local produce and highly appreciated not only in Poland but also abroad. Most of the industrial enterprises are situated on the premises of the Suwałki Special Economic Zone.
Of regional importance are the dairy processing enterprises: ?Rospuda? Creamery Co-operative in Filipów and ?Sudowia? Creamery Co-operative in Suwałki. Over a dozen private farms located in the north of the district produce rennet cheeses using traditional technology.
There are also small abattoirs cooperating with local trading agencies. An important food processing company is ?Animex Grupa Drobiarska? Sp. z o. o. (Animex Group) in Suwałki.
Another important sector is timber processing: mainly sawmilling/planing of wood and furniture production.
Suwałki Poviat is also a mining industry area, especially of natural aggregates. Research shows the existence here of the deposits of 47 natural aggregates of the estimated capacity of 530tonnes excavated at the moment by a small number of mining companies.
The Poviat of Suwałki has a great potential for the development of wind energy production. The postglacial hills and wide open spaces are conducive to strong winds (annual average of 6-7m/s).
The economic, cultural and, first of all, natural conditions (46% of the district are protected areas) point to the directions for the future of the region offered by sustainable development, especially tourist industry.