November 1, 2022 - Real estate expert Sanjin Rastovac spoke on the show Točka na tjedan about buying agricultural land in Croatia, commenting on the current situation, foreigners' buying rights, and the prices.

As N1 writes, until now, foreigners could only buy land if they opened a company in Croatia, and from July 1 of next year, they will be able to buy without restrictions.

He added that it would be much simpler and everything will become easier after officially entering Schengen Area.

"There is interest from foreigners, mostly from larger corporations. On the other hand, it is not profitable for local people to have a small amount of land and cultivate it without subsidies", said real estate expert Rastovac.

He pointed out there will be great interest in solar energy, especially in Zagora and Slavonia, because of agriculture and farming.

He points out that Croatia is still the cheapest in the EU regarding land prices, at around 3,400 euros per hectare of arable land. While, for example, in Slovenia, the average is 20,000, and the most expensive is the Netherlands with 70,000 euros. "We can expect a lot of foreigners," he concluded.

When asked if there will be a selling of the ancestral property, he said that it has already happened more or less, especially in Slavonia, and he believes that it could increase.

"The euro is coming, and we are entering Schengen, so it will be easier for people to come. "Istria is the area of ​​greatest interest because land there is the cheapest, and so is the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County," said Rastovac.

There is a lot of interest, he added, in the continent as well, and it is likely to grow. He also commented on the real estate market and the impact of interest rates.

"When interest rates rise, a lot more money is needed, so it is to be expected that there will be fewer buyers. Real estate is our favorite means of investment, but with the new increase in interest rates, we are entering a new cycle," Sanjin Rastovac finished.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 16 March 2022- Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković on Wednesday presented a new land consolidation bill aimed at facilitating the integration of small and irregular parcels into bigger and more regular ones as prerequisites for increasing production, cultivating land, and upgrading local infrastructure.

The money set aside to apply the law will help to consolidate 18,000 hectares, but there is interest in consolidating more, the minister said in parliament.

Twenty-three local units interested in the consolidation of 46,600 hectares replied to the ministry's call for applications last October, she told independent MP Marijana Petir, who asked if consolidation funds could be increased given the interest.

HRK 313 million has been set aside for farmland consolidation until 2026, of which HRK 263 million from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility and HRK 50 million in national funds.

Under the bill, consolidated land cannot be divided for 99 years, the minister told Luka Brčić of the ruling HDZ, who asked if Croatia was considering preventing further division of inherited land.

Land consolidation is of strategic interest to Croatia, the minister said, dismissing claims from Bridge MPs that the new law would be unfeasible and that everything was being shifted onto local government units.

Vučković dismissed as incorrect Bridge MP Miro Bulj's claims that 700,000 hectares of land was uncultivated.

Defending the minister, Stipan Šašlin of the HDZ asked Bulj why he did not do in Sinjsko Polje what Draž Municipality in Baranja did by consolidating over 800 hectares of land and building a HRK 25 million irrigation system.

Selling land to foreigners will mean "game over", says Beljak

Krešo Beljak of the opposition Croatian Peasant Party said that allowing foreigners to buy land would mean "game over" for Croatian farmers and agriculture.

The law will be unfeasible due to many obstacles, from unsolved property rights relations to the cadastre, the opposition said.

Processes should be made simpler and faster, said Ružica Vukovac of For a Just Croatia, adding that land has not been consolidated for 30 years.

Anja Šimpraga of the ruling coalition's SDSS said the bill provided a new approach and represented a huge step forward.

Ljubomir Kolarek (HDZ) said the new law would put to use farmland which was used little or not at all because it was not consolidated.

Politics: For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 1 Oct 2021 - The average price of arable land in Croatia in 2020 amounted to HRK 25,930 per hectare, which is HRK 746 more than in 2019, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported on Friday.

The statistics indicate that in 2020 the average price of meadows increased by HRK 3,326 to HRK 17,289 per hectare and of pastures by HRK 2,193 to HRK 15,651 per hectare.

In the Pannonian Croatia, the average price of arable land purchased in 2020 was HRK 26,416 per hectare, of meadows HRK 18,868 per hectare and of pastures HRK 10,720 per hectare.

The average price of arable land along the Adriatic coast was HRK 33,640 per hectare, of meadows HRK 13,957 per hectare and of pastures HRK 20,423 per hectare.

In northern Croatia, the average price of arable land was HRK 22,518 per hectare, the average price for meadows was HRK 18,981 per hectare and for pastures HRK 16,986 per hectare.

The DZS notes that its data is based on Tax Administration data on farmland purchases.

(€1 = HRK 7.491)

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