Young Farmer Darijo Sajko (27) from Čađavica Signs Contract for 1.4 Million Euro EU-Funded Project
Young farmer Darijo Sajko (27), owner of a family farm in Čađavica, has signed a contract with the Agency for Payments in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development to implement a project titled “Investment in a Facility for the Production of Energy from Renewable Sources with a Thermogeneration System and Photovoltaic Power Plant,” valued at 1.4 million euros. He is the only one in Virovitica-Podravina County (VPŽ) and one of the few in Croatia to receive these funds from EU grants.
This is actually his fifth submitted project, one he has been contemplating for four years. His intention is to renovate and restore the buildings of the former PIK Čađavica, which he bought seven years ago. These buildings will become part of a complex for the thermogeneration system used for drying medicinal herbs, equipped with a solar photovoltaic system for electricity production. The project has a 70% support rate, allowing Sajko to receive funding of 976,161.47 euros.
“I intend to dry chamomile, but also corn, so I won’t completely abandon crop farming because it’s a long-standing family tradition,” says Darijo, who learned his first agricultural steps from his grandfather.
“Agricultural work has appealed to me since childhood, but I completed high school as an auto mechanic and later gained additional qualifications as a farmer. The auto mechanic skills help me repair vehicles and agricultural machinery, so everything serves its purpose,” Sajko adds, emphasizing that today’s farmers, like all entrepreneurs, need to think “a step ahead.”
“As we know, this year’s weather conditions have been exceptionally bad for farmers, with wheat and barley yields reduced by 60 to 70 percent compared to last year, and corn damaged by hail. Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather, but we can adapt to the situation by preparing and adding a more reliable agricultural crop,” Darijo concludes. Starting this autumn, he plans to replace barley and wheat with chamomile, sowing it on about 150 hectares of land. In total, he owns around 200 hectares, 75 of which are state-owned agricultural land, while the rest belongs to him.
“I grew chamomile back in 2017, but I didn’t have a drying facility, making it very difficult to meet deadlines. Now that I have matured and have a place to dry it, I’ll continue from where I left off in 2017. Along with chamomile, I’ll also dry some corn. From next year, I’ll be both a crop farmer and a medicinal herb producer,” Darijo says with a smile, explaining that the drying phase is the most crucial for chamomile production.
“The biggest costs in drying facilities come from energy sources, so I thought about how to reduce or eliminate them. I came up with the idea of a thermogeneration plant, which currently doesn’t exist in Virovitica-Podravina County, and is rare in Croatia. Two pellet stoves of two megawatts each will heat 30,000 liters of water to 80 degrees. This water will be transported through pipes to 12 dryers, where motors with fans will blow warm air to dry the medicinal herbs. The project also includes the production of pellets from all types of harvest residues and a photovoltaic power plant, creating a closed production cycle. Currently, I have five employees and several seasonal workers, so I believe that with my wife Martina’s help, everything will go ‘like clockwork’ or at least close to that. I already have a buyer for my chamomile, which I hope to start selling in May next year. Time will be the best indicator of whether I have succeeded or not,” says this young but already very experienced farmer.
He also reveals his little secret to success: “Something you absolutely need for farming today is constant information, knowledge of the system, investment, persistence, and effort. Of course, thanks also go to our organizer, Agroland, and the president of the company, Nikola Gomerčić, as well as to the mayor of the Čađavica municipality, Mirko Rončević, who has supported us from the start. We know the situation for farmers is very tough, but with the mentioned conditions and a passion for the job, it is possible to push through,” concludes this ambitious young farmer, husband, and father of three children, Jan, Mia, and Liam.
Source: (www.icv.hr, bs; Photo: B. Sokele, private archive)