BJELOVAR BJELOVAR, Dec 21 (Hina) - About one million people in Croatia make their living from farming to a varying extent and the importance of farming for the entire economy is understandable, government officials said at a session
on farming in Bjelovar on Thursday. Family farms have a central place in the government programme, the host of the session, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bozidar Pankretic, said. He added that more than 70 percent of family farms cover areas of less than three hectares. The government's main goals as regards farming is for domestic demand to be covered by domestic production, for family farms to have more adequate living standards and for consumers to be granted stable, good and affordable offer. The advantages of domestic farming include a favourable climate, fertile ground, good experts, the possibility of sale of farming products through tourism and environmentally safe production. There is als
BJELOVAR, Dec 21 (Hina) - About one million people in Croatia make
their living from farming to a varying extent and the importance of
farming for the entire economy is understandable, government
officials said at a session on farming in Bjelovar on Thursday.
Family farms have a central place in the government programme, the
host of the session, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bozidar
Pankretic, said. He added that more than 70 percent of family farms
cover areas of less than three hectares.
The government's main goals as regards farming is for domestic
demand to be covered by domestic production, for family farms to
have more adequate living standards and for consumers to be granted
stable, good and affordable offer.
The advantages of domestic farming include a favourable climate,
fertile ground, good experts, the possibility of sale of farming
products through tourism and environmentally safe production.
There is also a number of disadvantages, the most important ones
being an unfavourable farming structure and the non-functioning of
the land market.
Speaking about this year's most important results regarding
agriculture, Pankretic said they included a 23% increase in
budgetary funds for agriculture, a 63% increase in incentives, the
introduction of blue diesel oil for fishermen and farmers and
Croatia's admission to the World Trade Organisation.
Farming accounts for nine percent of Croatia's Gross Domestic
Product, 13 percent of the employment structure, and, along with
manufacturing industry, for about 12 percent of foreign trade,
Pankretic said.
Today's session will also present laws on farming, including a
general law on farming and Croatia's farming, forestry and hunting
strategy for the 21st century .
(hina) rml