Ramona Franić

Marginal abatement costs for reducing leaching of nitrates in Croatian agriculture

The aim of this paper is to estimate marginal abatement costs (MAC) of N-fertiliser tax policies which aim to prevent NO3 levels from rising. Estimates of MAC provide information on how large reductions in Nfertilisation rates should be before other measures are considered. Based on N-response experiments from Croatian field trials with maize, N-response curves were estimated and profit maximising N-doses were derived. Values of NO3-N concentration in lysimeter water from the same treatments were used to estimate an NO3-leaching function. A sample of 20 Croatian family farms was used to obtain records of producer and input prices as well as actual N-doses. Abatement costs and MAC for an N-tax, a product tax and an Nquota were estimated. The MAC for all the instruments are non-constant and increase at an accelerating rate. The MAC for N-taxes are positive for N-taxes lower than 60%, indicating a net return to society. Reduction rates in fertilisation up to this level should be achieved before considering governmental support for other measures. The N-tax has the lowest abatement cost and the lowest MAC for a particular level of reduction while the N-quota has a lower MAC than the product tax when total reduction levels are below 20 mg NO3 l -1

Cooperative business potential for beekeepers in Croatia

Croatia’ s agricultural sector has been in transition since the break-up of the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Structural changes have led this transition (50 percent of land was farmed by large heavily subsidized, vertically integrated agricultural holdings). A large number of very small land holdings (averaging approx. 2.5 ha) have engaged in beekeeping, even during socialist times, because it presented a viable source of extra income for farmers. Farmers tend to join associations or cooperatives to receive economic benefits ; conversely, Croatian beekeepers have been less inclined to use cooperatives in marketing their products due to deeply rooted mistrust that has its origins in the previous Yugoslavian government. However, as beekeepers become accustomed to the new economic structure in Croatia, cooperative business structures present potential access to other marketing venues for beekeeping products. The results of this study provide an overview of Croatian beekeepers’ status within the industry and their interest in establishing cooperative businesses that have potential to better their position in the market place.

Sustainable allocation of land and capital resources: The case of wheat production in Croatia

S obzirom da je opci trend europske, pa tako i hrvatske agrarne politike racionalizacija poljoprivrednog proracuna, potpuno je opravdano alocirati zemljisne resurse i proizvodne poticaje u skladu s ekonomskim kriterijima i nacelima poljoprivredne regionalizacije. Stoga je cilj rada bio testirati ekonomsku regionalizaciju proizvodnje prema kriteriju zemljisnih renti i prema tome ocijeniti ekonomsku opravdanost obracuna proizvodnih subvencija za psenicu u Hrvatskoj. Testirani model dokazuje kako je uz uvažavanje najnepovoljnijih proizvodnih uvjeta (s najvisim troskovima) i to samo do razine nacionalne potražnje za određenim proizvodom, u ovom slucaju psenicom, moguce ekonomski opravdano kanalizirati te proizvodnje (i poticaje) regionalno, u podrucja s najpovoljnijim agro-ekoloskim uvjetima.

Stakeholders' expectations from the agri-environmental programme in Slovenia and Croatia

The agri-environmental programme (AEP) is the European Union policy instrument used for the delivery of environmental services expected by the society, but societal expectations for these environmental services are insufficiently assessed. In order to realistically meet the expectations of AEP, this research utilises analytical hierarchy process based web survey to assess the importance that various societal stakeholders in the European countries of Slovenia and Croatia give to specific environmental services and to also identify the agricultural practices that have the greatest potential to realise the expectations that society values the most. All stakeholders (overall group) from Slovenia and Croatia ranked water quality and availability as the first most important environmental service, and reduction of pesticides as the most important agricultural practice to deliver societal expectations. The results indicate that there is similar demand for environmental services in these two countries that differ in their agricultural settings.

Chapter 10 Transformations in Croatian Agriculture and Agricultural Policy: Challenges and Opportunities within the European Context

During the past two decades Croatia has faced numerous challenges: gaining independence, war conflicts, political and economic transition and the process of European Union (EU) accession. Despite rich and diversified landscapes and cultural heritage, it is still faced with problems limiting the economic development. So the purpose of this chapter is to point out the pragmatic reasons of Croatian delay in the process of adjustment to European business and agricultural policy standards.Based on statistic and literature analysis, the study determines specific characteristics of Croatian regions, rural areas, rural population and agriculture. Agriculture after independence shows increase in utilized area, but the production is still below pre-war level and results with unsteady and modest value. Harmonization with Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) standards is slow; big steps have been made in establishing new institutions in agriculture and preparing adequate legislative framework, so there are no significant formal differences between Croatian and European agricultural policy. However, European agricultural policy models cause problems. There is a daily debate about a low degree of self-sufficiency of the domestic production, low competitiveness and uncontrolled import of farm products. Farmers still often expect for the government to organize the production and guarantee the purchase prices as were in former, socialistic system.Due to these reasons, a fear was expressed by farmers that they could not be able to meet the strict criteria for the European financing. Despite this, a large part of farmers see the possibilities for their existence in rural areas, mostly through development of non-agricultural activities.

Agricultural Policy in Research of Croatian Authors of the 20th Century

Ocekivani ulazak Hrvatske u Europsku uniju iznova aktualizira spremnost nasih poljoprivrednih proizvođaca na tržnu utakmicu koja ih uskoro ocekuje. U tome se propitkuju ciljevi i popratne mjere dosadasnje poljoprivredne politike, ali i njezin razvoj u smjeru brige o cjelokupnom ruralnom prostoru u suglasju s evolucijom Zajednicke poljoprivredne politike EU-a. Dosadasnje drustveno- ekonomske promjene nisu znacajnije promijenile glavne ciljeve poljoprivredne politike (osiguranje dovoljno hrane za potrosace po razumnim cijenama te ravnopravan životni standard poljoprivrednika), nego su se samo mijenjali instrumenti i mjere država s obzirom na ekonomske uvjete i politicke okolnosti. U Hrvatskoj strucnoj literaturi položaj poljoprivrednika i život u seoskim sredinama podrobnije se istražuje od sredine 19. stoljeca. Rezultati mnogih istraživanja, a posebno izrecene preporuke, aktualni su i danas. Vec zarana se u mnogim radovima upozorava na razloge razlicitoga položaja poljoprivrednika u pojedinim državama, a u radovima potkraj 20. stoljeca istice se nemogucnost preslikavanja pojedinih rjesenja iz EU-a na hrvatske prilike.