Plant production

In order to ensure food security, the key strategic objectives of plant production are the increases of production and competitiveness. For achieving these objectives, resilient and biologically diverse agricultural plant species and varieties and state-of-the-art production technologies adapted to rapid environmental changes and natural conditions are vital. A lot of emphasis is also on sustainability in order to ensure the safety of agricultural products, the conservation and fertility of soil, and the protection of natural conditions for life in soil, water and air.

In Slovenia, most agricultural land is occupied by grassland followed by arable land used for crops and vegetables, and permanent crops including vineyards, orchards, hop fields and olive groves. In 2017, according to annual crop statistics, about 481,000 ha of agricultural land were farmed land, of which 279,000 ha were permanent grassland, 27,000 ha permanent crops and 174,000 ha arable land.

The volume of plant production in Slovenia depends heavily on natural conditions. Since 2011, there have been significant changes in production volumes due to highly varying weather conditions. For example, adverse weather conditions in 2016 and 2017 particularly affected the fruit sector. In 2018, after two very modest harvests, fruit production was abundant and even above average compared to the favourable previous years. In 2018 there was also an exceptional crop of grapes.

Public services in plant production

In the field of plant production (agriculture, commercial gardening, fruit growing, wine growing, olive growing, hop growing), there are public services performing professional tasks including, among others, selection, varietal selection as well as introduction and zoning of new varieties, testing of technologies and provision of the basic material of perennial plants.