2012 Bad Year for Slovenian Agriculture
Whereas the overall output declined by 10%, plant production plunged by 20% on account of weather, according to Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Tanja Strniša.
Agricultural trade declined across the board, as exports dropped 6% over the year before and imports were 3% lower.
Gross value added in the sector plunged 11% and factor income was 12% lower than in the year before.
Slovenia remains a net importer of agricultural products, as the import-export coverage was at 44%.
Lower output was registered in a variety of segments, including pork production, which has been in sharp decline since 2006 and contracted by another 14% last year.
Slovenian-produced pork thus accounts for less than half of total domestic demand for the meat.
Beef (-2.9%) and egg (-12.6%) production also declined, whereas output of poultry and milk rose by 1.8% and 2.7% respectively.
Grain production dropped 5%, as wheat and spelt output surged by over a fifth but the production of corn, a much more important commodity, dropped 21%.
Aside from output, the report notes that Slovenian agriculture is slow to adapt, as Slovenian farms lag far behind the EU in terms of size, size of herds and the share of farmers younger than 55.