Vegetable production in the Republic of Croatia: current situation and opportunities

U radu se istražuju promjene u povrćarstvu Republike Hrvatske u razdoblju od 2000. do 2015. godine, kako ukupno tako i za neke važnije povrtne vrste (rajčica, paprika, krastavci te kupus). Istraživanje obuhvaća promjene kod proizvođača koji proizvode za tržište, a ne uključuje proizvodnju u povrtnjacima koja je u najvećem dijelu namijenjena naturalnoj potrošnji. Tijekom analiziranog razdoblja proizvodnja povrća oscilira i ukupno je nedostatna s obzirom na domaće potrebe te se razlika podmiruje uvozom. U razdoblju projekcije do 2020. godine očekuje se daljnje smanjenje površina kod istraživanih povrtnih vrsta uz istodobno povećanje proizvodnje kao posljedica povećanja prinosa. Budući razvitak povrćarske proizvodnje treba temeljiti na boljem iskorištenju raspoloživih kapaciteta i povećanju intenzivnosti proizvodnje te uvažavajući potrebe stanovništva i prerađivačke industrije. U radu su korišteni podaci Državnog zavoda za statistiku (DZS), Ministarstva poljoprivrede Republike Hrvatske, Hrvatske gospodarske komore (HGK) te neka dosadašnja istraživanja. Za analizu proizvodnje te njenu projekciju do 2016. godine korištena je metoda trenda i to polinoma prvog stupnja Yc = a ± bx.The paper examined the changes in Croatian vegetable-growing sector as a whole and at the level of certain significant vegetables varieties (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and cabbage) in the period from 2000 to 2015. The research focused on changes affecting producers who placed their produce on the market and did not include the production of vegetables in gardens that was primarily intended for subsistence consumption. During the analysed period the production of vegetables fluctuated. Since total production volume was not sufficient to satisfy domestic needs, the observed discrepancies were supplemented by import. Projections for the period until 2020 predicted a further decrease of surface area involved in the production of researched vegetable varieties, accompanied by the increase of production volume achieved through higher yields. The future development of vegetable production should be based on better utilization of available capacities and an increase in production intensity, while focusing on consumption and processing industry needs. Our research examined the data obtained by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE) and previous research. The analysis and 2016 projection of production were performed by applying the trend method, namely a polynomial of the first degree: Yc = a ± bx