September the 28th, 2026 – Croatian agriculture as a sector has suffered tremendously as a result of long periods of drought this year, with arable land being the most vulnerable of all.
This year’s extreme and long periods of drought has significantly affected the arable production of Podravka Agri, and its final impact on revenues will only be known after all harvesting work is completed. The company told Hina that such a drought in eastern Croatia has not been recorded in the last 20 years. “Since the harvesting of individual crops is still under way, and the lifting of sugar beet has yet to begin, the impact of the drought on total arable revenues will be known only after all work is finished,” they said.
Ana Blaskovic reports for Poslovni that the prolonged lack of rainfall and extremely high temperatures particularly affected spring crops, including maize, soybeans and sugar beet, while sunflower performed somewhat better. An additional problem was the lack of irrigation possibilities due to historically low water levels of the Danube and Drava rivers during the summer months. Unlike the spring crops, winter wheat and barley did not suffer significantly because they finish their vegetation earlier, and their harvest was completed in the first half of July.
Climate extremes are becoming an increasingly important factor in planning agricultural production. At Podravka Agri, headed by Davor Doko, they note that in recent years they have been adapting production technologies and selecting more resistant hybrids and varieties in order to mitigate the consequences of climate change, preserve soil fertility and ensure the continuity of domestic food production.
On the other hand, the long period of dry weather this year also brought one positive consequence: it enabled the high-quality collection and storage of around 100,000 bales of straw, a quantity that will meet the needs of all 19 of Podravka Agri’s cattle farms.
