Which agricultural crops are worth the effort in Croatia?
Although many will say that these days it does not pay off to plant anything, with the right crops in the right place and bearing in mind the expert support, agrotechnical measures, quality plants, and weather, there are still some farming activities in Croatia that can yield a good income. Although Croatia cannot produce enough carrots, onions, lettuce and other vegetables that are still bringing more income in comparison with corn and wheat, some smart individuals are starting to change the way Croatian fields look, reports Večernji List on May 22, 2016.
All of a sudden, fields abound with the smell of chamomile and lavender, seasonal workers are picking more and more strawberries and asparagus, while the immortelle is not being harvested only in Dalmatia anymore. Meanwhile, it became clear that no matter the kind of crops, there is no success with zero investments and “zero work”.
Producers of berries, nuts and medicinal plants are the winners at the end of each year. One very popular plant is definitely chamomile. After a somewhat less successful 2015, this year is exceptional regarding the quality of chamomile, and the purchase was guaranteed even before the sowing was done, said Danijel Poslek, the co-owner of Herbee from Špišić Bukovica.
Chamomile became the main plant in the area; they already have over 350 hectares of it, almost two times more than two years ago. The entire harvest ends up in Germany at the Martin Bauer Group and the renowned Lipton tea brand.
According to the estimates of the Agricultural Advising Service, the immortelle is also getting increasingly popular. The purchasing price ranges from 22 kuna per one kilogram of fresh flowers, while the essential oil brings about 1,700 euros per kilogram.
In the meantime, farmers in Požega-Slavonia County who are also the members of the cooperative Domaće Blago realized that kidney beans have great potential (Croatia’s annual import of kidney beans amounts to over 10 million euros). This year, they will plant kidney beans on about 800 hectares.
Finally, when it comes to strawberries and blueberries they can bring in up to 230,000 kuna and up to 370,000 kuna per hectare respectively. Another fruit that is truly worth the effort is pear; Croatia does not even cover 10 percent of its own demand for pears which can yield 28,000 kuna per hectare.
