ZAGREB, April 28, 2019 - A study of foreign trade involving Croatian counties shows that last year foreign trade remained strongly concentrated on Zagreb, which accounted for nearly a third of total exports and nearly half of imports, and on a small number of other regions.

According to the study, conducted by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and released earlier this week, Croatia exported 107.7 billion kuna worth of goods in 2018, of which 33.28 billion or 30.9% accounted for companies based in Zagreb. Imports totalled 175.5 billion kuna, and Zagreb's share was 48.9%, with companies based in the capital importing goods worth 85.8 billion kuna.

Croatia is divided into 20 counties plus the City of Zagreb as a separate administrative unit.

The study revealed that the first five largest exporting counties accounted for 53.3% of Croatia's total exports and the first ten counties for as much as 72.1%. The concentration of imports is even more pronounced as the top 5 ranking counties imported 71.5% of total imports and the top 10 as much as 83.3%.

"The value of exports generated by the City of Zagreb is 154 times that of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the value of imports is as much as 596 times higher than that of Lika-Senj County, the county with the least imports. The value of per-capita exports in the top ranking Međimurje County is as much as 26 times higher than in Dubrovnik-Neretva County," the study noted.

Eleven counties generated a trade surplus, the highest being posted by Sisak-Moslavina County with 1.27 billion kuna. The largest deficit was recorded by the City of Zagreb, of 52.5 billion kuna, which mostly affected the national foreign trade balance as last year Croatia recorded a foreign trade deficit of 67.8 billion kuna.

More economic news can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, January 25, 2019 - Croatian agricultural and food exports continued to grow last year, but at a lower rate than in previous years, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) said in a statement on Friday.

In the first ten months of 2018, compared with the same period of 2017, agricultural and food exports increased by 5% to 1.64 billion euro, while imports rose by 4% to 2.55 billion euro. Coverage of imports by exports increased from 63% to 64%.

In 2017, agricultural and food exports rose by 7.5% from 2016, when they had increased by nearly 13% from the previous year.

"The fact that in the first nine months of 2018, compared with the same period of 2017, the growth of the agricultural trade deficit was halted is encouraging. However, this year's deficit could still exceed one billion euros, which continues to be a concern," HGK vice-president for agriculture and tourism Dragan Kovačević said.

He added that Croatia still recorded the largest deficit in trade with meat and edible meat offal, milk and dairy products, fruit and vegetables. "This indicates a poor structure of agricultural production and low productivity, but also the fact that EU funding and rural development measures still have no effect," Kovačević said.

"In order to increase the volume of agricultural production and productivity, which is far below the EU average, along with absorbing funding from rural development programmes, Croatian agricultural production needs to be regionalised to ensure a stronger role of grants in increasing competitiveness," he concluded.

Looking at overall trade in the first ten months of 2018, it also increased by 5% from the same period of 2017, reaching 12 billion euro. At the same time, imports increased by 8% to 19.8 billion euro, with coverage of imports by exports falling from 63% to 61%.

Agricultural and food products accounted for 13% of exports and 14% of imports, the HGK said.

More news on Croatia's agriculture can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, October 9, 2018 - Croatia's Jan - Aug exports amounted to 69.6 billion kuna, rising by 3.9% compared to the corresponding period in 2017 whereas imports amounted to 115.9 billion kuna or up 6.9%, according to preliminary figures released by the State of Bureau of Statistics (DZS) on Tuesday.

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ZAGREB, September 7, 2018 - Croatia's exports reached 60.7 billion kuna in the first seven months of 2018, up 3.2% over the same period in 2017, while imports increased by 6.2% to 101.6 billion kuna, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said on Friday.

ZAGREB, September 2, 2018 - The Đuro Đaković Special Vehicles company, which is part of the Đuro Đaković Group, has signed a 127.2 million kuna (17.18 million euro) contract with the French Ermewa company for the delivery of freight wagons for the transport of sheet metal coils, the Slavonski Brod-based company has said.

ZAGREB, August 9, 2018 - Croatia's exports in the first six months of 2018 came to 51.3 billion kuna, rising by two percent compared to the corresponding period in 2017, whereas imports increased by 5.5% to 85.9 billion kuna, according to preliminary figures released by the national statistical office (DZS) on Thursday.

ZAGREB, July 9, 2018 - Croatia's exports reached 42.1 billion kuna in the first five months of 2018, up 1.2% from the same period in 2017, while imports rose by 4.7% to 70.6 billion kuna, according to initial figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) on Monday.

ZAGREB, May 9, 2018 - In the first two months of 2018, Croatia recorded a fall in exports and a rise in imports year-on-year, as it did in the first three months of 2018, resulting in a higher trade deficit and a lower export-import ratio, according to data released by the national statistical office DZS on Wednesday.

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