VEGETABLE MARKET IN SLOVENIA BEFORE AND AFTER THE ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

The paper describes how the Slovenian accession to European Union (EU) influenced the conditions on vegetable market in Slovenia. Slovenia remains the net importer of fresh vegetables. Annually, it imports larger quantities of vegetables than there are produced by agricultural holdings. The supply balance sheet for vegetables is the basis of an analysis of vegetable consumption on the level of entire country and allows the comparison with other countries. Data have shown that the degree of self-sufficiency varies a lot between years due to weather conditions. Although the conditions for vegetable growing in Slovenia are favourable, domestic production is too low to meet the domestic consumption. Many investigations have also shown that Slovenian people consume too small amounts of vegetables. This statement is supported by the supply balance sheet for vegetables. The human consumption per capita in Slovenia is gradually increasing, but it is still low in comparison with the EU countries.