Darijo Sajko opened his family farm (OPG) at the age of just under 20, and in eight years of work, from the initial 11 acres of land, he now cultivates 370 hectares.

The selection for the best young farmer, who will represent Croatia in the European competition for the best farmer, has entered its final phase. The expert jury has chosen the top 20. Here are their stories:

Even as a teenager, he started earning pocket money by helping his grandfather with corn harvesting and other farm work. From a young age, now 28-year-old Darijo Sajko from Čađavica was connected to agriculture and fell in love with the work. Before turning 20, he opened his own family farm (OPG).

He says he didn’t want to get into generational conflicts over how to work the land with older family members, so he set out on his own path. Starting with 11 acres of land and two tractors inherited from his grandfather, he and his wife Martina now together cultivate 350 hectares. Their farmyards are full of various agricultural machinery and equipment.

Additionally, at the beginning of May, his new facility for energy production from renewable sources with a thermogeneration system is expected to start operating. This will allow a closed circle where he will obtain products for sale and thermal energy from the raw materials on his fields. In a short period, this young man has shown that hard work, persistence, and the readiness to make decisions can achieve great success.

Trends in Agriculture

• There’s no big secret here. Yes, I’m young, but in these eight years, I’ve gained enough experience to recognize situations and decide when to invest and when not to. Keeping up with trends is crucial, but unfortunately, most people, especially older ones, aren’t ready for changes.

Every night, I spend at least two hours, after everyone goes to sleep, studying tenders, new working methods, long-term economic forecasts, and trends. I keep track of where European policies are heading and make strategic decisions for my business – explains Sajko.

• For anyone willing to work, Croatia is a land of opportunity. The only issue is the extensive bureaucracy, which needs better regulation and simplification. However, in terms of resources, I think we have everything – says this young man. His farm officially covers 200 hectares, with an additional 150 hectares under his wife Martina’s name. Their focus on the future is confirmed by the three children constantly running around their feet. Jan and Mia are preschoolers, and the youngest, Liam, has just started walking.
• I can already say that Jan will be a farmer. He knows everything and is interested in everything. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t go to kindergarten but would spend all day on the field – says Darijo. What does our interlocutor produce? Mostly chamomile, followed by fava beans, soybeans, and corn, for crop rotation. He also has 20 hectares of hazelnuts, which are expected to give their first yield this year.

Initially, my focus was strictly on crop farming, grains, and oilseeds. However, since 2017, I started growing chamomile, which I have maintained to this day and have the biggest plans for. But I must say that all this would have been difficult to achieve if we hadn’t joined the European Union and if a tender for young farmers hadn’t appeared in 2015. That’s why I primarily opened my family farm (OPG). I received 50,000 euros, which I used to purchase larger machinery and began leasing land.

Then came new tenders, additional machinery purchases, and the expansion of the farm. Of course, there were also loans. I never had a problem taking out a loan for land because I had a vision of what I wanted to do – our interlocutor emphasized. His approach to recognizing opportunities and taking risks is evident in his decision to focus on silage production at one point.

This happened a few years ago when three biogas plants appeared in his vicinity, all requiring silage. Sajko focused on corn and rye, which were ensiled for these plants. The first year was excellent, but over time it weakened, so he eventually gave up on that story.

Chamomile as the Basis of Success

• Because of that, I invested in a new silo combine, trailers, and digestate tanks. In the end, I sold it all when the biogas plant story failed. I could have lamented over my fate, but instead, I sold it and turned a new page – explains Darijo.

Similarly, he started working with fava beans when, two years ago, Nutris, a company that buys them for protein isolate production, appeared nearby. However, all his long-term plans are related to chamomile and other medicinal herbs, with the core of that story being a 1.4 million euro thermogeneration plant, 70% of which is financed by EU funds, currently under construction. He initially applied for this project five years ago but did not get approval. However, on his second attempt, he was better prepared and received approval.

• When I started working with chamomile, I realized that it’s pointless if you don’t have your own dryer. So, I started this project. It is a thermogeneration plant, essentially a hot water system with two 2 MW furnaces and dryers for drying biomass and agricultural products. We will use pellets made from harvest residues as fuel. For example, after we harvest the chamomile, the flowers go for drying for further sale, and the straw is turned into pellets.

This way, we avoided using gas or heating oil, which most dryers use, and that was my goal. Even before the war in Ukraine, I was thinking about being independent of fuel prices and availability. Some laughed at me, saying why use pellets when gas is cheap, but I was thinking about how to be self-sufficient.

With this plant, which will have a solar power plant on its roof, I will have complete independence, as I will get electricity from the sun and heat from the fields. Additionally, there will be no CO₂ emissions, which is important as it reduces environmental pollution. Furthermore, CO₂ emissions will soon have to be paid for. So, I’m not cutting down forests or extracting oil, and the chamomile will be completely organic.

Roughly, this will save me almost 90,000 euros annually just on drying – explained Sajko about his new project, which he also plans to enrich with several more dryers and a processing plant for medicinal herbs. Then, all his fields would be dedicated to medicinal herbs, primarily chamomile.

• Croatian chamomile is number one in the world. When I saw the quality of chamomile offered at the world’s largest medicinal herb fair in Nuremberg, I knew we had nothing to fear with our quality. We have plenty of sunny days, which gives us an advantage. There is ample space for chamomile in Slavonia. It will be the basis of our future and, I believe, a long-term story – concluded our interlocutor.

Personal Information:

Name: Darijo Sajko
Age: 28
Location: Čađavica
Occupation: Farmer
Farm Area: 220 hectares
Production: Chamomile, fava beans, soybeans, corn, hazelnuts
Business Motto: Economic and energy independence is the key to success

Photo: Vlado Kos / Cropix

Source of the article: Jutarnji list