STRUCTURE OF AGRICULTURAL FARMS – Provisional Data
Situation as on 1 June 2023

Provisional data on the structure of agricultural holdings in 2023 are presented, namely for important agricultural areas by categories and the number of livestock and poultry. The data are compared with the data of the last surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings from 2016 and 2020.

Utilised agricultural area in 2023 increased minimally, by 0.9% compared to 2020.

According to the provisional data, in 2023, agricultural holdings in the Republic of Croatia used 898 000 ha of arable land. The largest share in the area of arable land was accounted for by cereals (65.0% or 548 000 ha), followed by industrial crops (18.5% or 166 000 ha) and fodder crops (10.6% or 95 000 ha). Compared to 2020, the area under cereals increased by 9.2% and the area under dried pulses by 100.0%, while the area under root and tuber crops decreased by 23.8%. The area under permanent crops increased by 3.9% compared to 2020.

As far as provisional data on breeding of cattle, pigs, goats, sheep and poultry are concerned, there was a decrease in the total number of heads: the number of pigs decreased by 18.8%, the number of goats by 13.6%, the number of sheep by 9.5% and the number of poultry by 6.2%, while the number of cattle increased by 1.0%.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Provisional data of the Survey on the Structure of Agricultural Holdings are presented, which was conducted for businesses entities and private family farms from 1 to 30 June 2023.

Data for business entities and parts thereof were collected by the reporting method on a form and via a web application. Data for private family farms were collected by interviewers using the method of personal interview.

The Survey on the Structure of Agricultural Holdings is used to collect data on labour force, land use (arable land and gardens, permanent crops, vegetable gardens, meadows and pastures), number of livestock, irrigation, land management practices, mechanisation and equipment.

Data on areas and number of livestock refer to the situation as on 1 June.

Coverage and comparability

Reporting units are business entities and parts thereof defined in section A Agriculture, forestry and fishing according to the NKD 2007 as well as other business entities and parts thereof engaged in agricultural production but classified in other activities.

Reporting units are also private family farms engaged in agricultural production.

Agricultural holdings were selected from the Statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. The frame includes holdings that have more than 0.40 ha of agricultural land and more than 0.5 livestock units.

A total of 30 000 private family farms and 4 400 business entities and parts thereof were selected in 2023, covering 98% of the utilised agricultural area and 98% of livestock units.

Definitions

Agricultural holding is a production management unit engaged in agriculture and operating as a company, craft or cooperative if it is registered for agricultural activities as well as a peasant farm or a private family farm. This survey covers all farms with more than 0.4 hectares of utilised agricultural land and more than 0.5 livestock units.

Utilised agricultural area is the total agricultural area that was used for crop production in the reference year. It covers arable land, kitchen gardens, meadows, pastures, nurseries, orchards, vineyards and land under osier willow.

Arable land refers to the land that is regularly farmed and cultivated and is under crop rotation. The following plants are grown on arable land: cereals, pulses for dry grain, root and tuber crops, industrial crops, fodder crops, vegetables, flowers and horticultural plants as well as seeds and seedlings.

Kitchen gardens are areas scheduled for growing of crops (mostly vegetables) that are intended for consumption by persons living in a household and mainly not intended for sale. Only occasional surplus of products grown on these areas is sold outside the household.

Permanent grasslands are areas used for grazing, making hay and silage (meadows and pastures). They do not include the following:

- grassland not used anymore (difficult to access, bad quality)

- former grassland overgrown with forest trees, which are included in forests

- partly overgrown land, which is included in forests

- areas sown with clover and lucerne, which are included in arable land

- areas sown with multi-annual grasses, grass mixtures and grass-clover mixtures, which are included in arable land.

Land under permanent crops includes orchards, vineyards, olive groves, nurseries and osier willows.

Poultry includes broilers, hens, turkeys, geese, ducks and other poultry.

Livestock unit is a reference unit which facilitates the aggregation of livestock from various species and age, via the use of specific coefficients established initially on the basis of the nutritional or feed requirement of each type of animal.

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
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Persons responsible:
Edita Omerzo, Director of Spatial Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Predrag Cvjetićanin and Željko Kanižaj

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