Frane Ivković
Episode · #28
AGROBIZ Frane Ivković
Guest Frane IvkovićHosted by Miroslav KuskunovićMay 3, 2026
Frane Ivković
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
The price of a kilogram of apples has fallen to the same level as a kilogram of wheat — an unprecedented market distortion in Croatian history. This stark reality, coupled with the steady decline of overall fruit production and the exodus of young farmers, paints a grim picture for a sector considered strategically vital. Frane Ivković, a prominent Croatian fruit grower and member of the Croatian Fruit Growers' Association Council, offers a firsthand account of how unchecked market forces and a lack of protective policies are dismantling an entire industry. His perspective reveals the true cost of allowing a domestic agricultural sector to collapse under the weight of unfair competition and systemic neglect.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
The price of a kilogram of apples falling to the same level as a kilogram of wheat is an unprecedented event in Croatian history. When the most basic market signals are distorted to such an extent, it indicates a systemic failure that threatens the very existence of an entire agricultural sector.
02
Even for 'extra quality' apples, the average selling price last year was 1.30 kuna per kilogram, while the cost of production was 2.20 kuna. Operating at a loss from the outset, regardless of yield, ensures that producers cannot sustain their operations beyond a single season.
03
Young farmers with five to ten hectares of orchards are leaving Croatia to work for growers in Austria, Italy, or Germany, often on smaller plots. When a strategically important sector is allowed to collapse, a nation doesn't just lose production; it exports its human capital and destroys long-term productive capacity.
04
Croatian fruit production has steadily declined from almost 300,000 tons in 2013 to 130,000 tons by 2017. This multi-year, consistent drop, rather than a single bad harvest, points to a structural problem that national policy has failed to address.
05
Poland's annual apple production of 5.5 million tons, sold at 15 euro cents per kilogram, floods the Croatian market, while countries like Germany and Austria use mechanisms to block such dumping prices. A 'free market' without active protective measures against unfair competition will systematically destroy domestic industries, even when other EU members protect their own.
06
Croatia has institutions like the Chamber of Economy, ministries, and embassies that could verify import conditions, check invoices for prices below cost, or conduct pesticide residue analyses to block unfair imports. The failure to implement these basic protective measures suggests a lack of political will or a misaligned interest, rather than an absence of tools.
07
This year's extreme weather, from a dry, warm winter to heavy spring rains, has caused severe damage to strawberry crops through mold and prevented effective pest and disease protection for other fruits. While weather is a constant factor, when combined with unsustainable market pressures, it pushes an already fragile agricultural sector past its breaking point.