MINERAL OR ORGANIC FERTILIZATION: FINANCIAL ASPECTS

Farm manure is not disposed in a proper way in Croatia and often farmers consider it as undesirable by-product. Furthermore, stock manure is quite inexpensive fertilizer, even when farmers are forced to buy it to increase soil fertility. The aim of paper was to research costs of mineral and organo-mineral fertilization including applied farm machinery costs and fertilization costs taking into account level of soil fertility and nutrient status. According to nutrient status, fertilizer recommendations were calculated for soil of low fertility, medium fertile and fertile soils. Four fertilization methods were economically analyzed: mineral fertilization (complex fertilizers), mineral fertilization (single fertilizers), organic plus mineral (complex) and organic plus mineral (single). Fertilization costs are calculated in three year production model – wheat, maize and sunflower production. The highest costs are related to combined organic and mineral fertilization 2.729,05 (single mineral fertilizers) and 2.548,60 €/ha (complex fertilizers) for low fertility soils. Higher application of organic fertilization can solve a few problem of agriculture in Croatia: solving manure disposal problem considering environmental EU requirements, increasing soil fertility and crops ’ yield what is positively related to farm profitability and decreased costs impacts directly on saving money for farmers