“It would be illusory to expect that the agricultural advisory service will solve this because it is a somewhat broader problem,” said independent Tomislav Žagar (Club Most). As a solution, he proposes linking this service with the Ministry of Education and the Agency for Vocational Education.
Expertise is the only way to increase competitiveness
State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Tugomir Majdak is convinced that the proposed amendments will improve professional support for conducting activities, thereby achieving EU standards more quickly and increasing employment in agriculture.
It is necessary to organize the system to raise the level of their expertise, he says, as this is the only way for farmers to become more competitive in the activities they perform.
HSS member Željko Lenart claims that nothing will change with the proposed legal amendments, as there are many problems on the ground, and advisors are imposed with administrative work instead of fieldwork.
He advocated for an increase in the budget for the advisory service because the advisor must have resources to reach OPGs, organize lectures, and similar activities, and due to low salaries, many agronomists are leaving the service.
Forgotten Fishermen
According to the proposal, the law should regulate the advisory system in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, and the opposition warned that “fishing” should also be included in the name of the service.
“You have written this proposal so diligently that you have completely forgotten about fishermen,” criticized SDP’s Nenad Stazić.
Branko Hrg (Club HDS, HSLS, HDSSB), although supporting the law, disagreed with the explanation that no additional funds are needed in the state budget for it, as he emphasizes that the development of agricultural production lies with that service.
He reminded that employees of the service must visit the fields, work overtime, organize seminars, prepare programs…
Stazić: A Purge for the Employment of HDZ and HNS Cadres
Stazić believes that with the proposed law, Croatian farmers will only receive new leadership and a new director of that institution and nothing more.
“In Croatia, we have an inflation of institutions that are an end in themselves,” he said, adding that the proposed law will “clean out the old ones in that service, and 250 of those from HDZ and HNS will be employed.”
Every one of the 270 employees in that service, he says, should be ashamed because of Croatian citizens who have left Slavonia.
“Do you want to take us back to the time of Minister Jakovina, for which Croatian farmers still suffer consequences today,” said HDZ’s Stevo Culej to him.
“I did not speak about Tihomir Jakovina… In socialism, farmers did not leave Slavonia, and they had passports, and they could. And when you mention Jakovina, he paid taxes to the state that you and your family did not pay, and you love it so much,” Stazić replied.
Who Cries for the Old Times
HDZ’s Ivan Šipić accused Stazić of crying for the old times.
“I am not crying, but Slavonian farmers are because they were better off in the time we are talking about… Jakovina was the minister during which farmers did not export tractors and block roads,” Stazić said.
The technical results of the legal changes will be that we will have new boards, memorandums, new solutions for new mayors, directors, deputy directors… is that the point? GLAS and HSU will not ‘hold the ladders’ in writing those solutions,” said Anka Mrak Taritaš (GLAS and HSU).
She also criticized that important laws in the Parliament are presented by state secretaries, not by relevant ministers, except for Finance Minister Zdravko Marić.
“Minister Marić, although attacked, is the only one who defends his laws in the parliament and is able to sit there from morning to evening, while other ministers often send state secretaries, which shows how much they value us representatives,” said Mrak Taritaš.
Majdak: The Law on Agricultural Land Offers a New Concept
State Secretary Majdak also presented to the representatives the proposal for the Law on Agricultural Land, which returns the management of state agricultural land to municipalities and cities, offering a completely new concept of land management.
It is envisaged to lease land for a period of 25 years with the possibility of extension for the same period. Uncultivated private land can also be leased for five years if the owners are unavailable, and the land is not maintained suitable for agricultural production.
Each municipality or city can limit the maximum area that can be leased to an individual physical or legal person, thereby preventing a small number of farms from acquiring the majority of available land. In continental counties, parcels of up to 10 hectares are for sale, while in coastal areas and on islands, up to one hectare.
“This is one of the most important reform laws being implemented by the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, proposed due to the inefficiency of the existing one, which has led to reduced use of agricultural land,” said Majdak.
