PPPs are active substances or their derivates intended for the protection of plants or their products. Active substances have a general or specific effect on harmful organisms or plants, plant parts and plant products.

The indicator shows the sales of active substances used as plant protection products (PPPs) and the consumption of PPPs per hectare of arable land (fields, gardens) and permanent crops.

The indicator does not take into account (due to the unavailability of reliable data) the use of PPPs on other non-agricultural land (e.g., railways, roadsides, lawns, golf courses and other sports fields), where plant protection measures are also implemented using PPPs. According to various estimates, this category of land in Slovenia represents more than 50,000 ha. As a result, current consumption of PPPs per hectare of cultivated land is greater than it would be if the actual areas where PPPs are used were taken into account.

Plant protection products (PPPs) are a pesticide subgroup containing active substances or their derivates that exert general or specific action on harmful organisms or plants, parts of plants or plant products. The consumption of plant protection products in Slovenia has been monitored since 1992 when a total of 2,031 tons were sold. Compared to the base year, their consumption almost halved over the next twenty years, reaching only 1,058 tons in 2012. The decraesing trend of plant protection products sales has slowed down in the last decade. The latest available data indicates that in 2021, a total of 914 tons were sold representing the lowest quantity since the start of the monitoring.

Consumption of plant protection products per unit of cultivated land (arable land, gardens, and permanent crops), have been significantly variable between years, primarily due to weather conditions. A comparison of 10-year averages between 2000-2009 and 2010-2020 showed a decrease in their consumption from 6.7 to 5.5 kg of active substance per hectare. In the last year of monitoring (2021), the consumption further decreased to 4.5 kg of active substance per hectare.

When considering the consumption per hectare of cultivated land in Slovenia, it should be taken into account that it is slightly overestimated, as the land data is not including all areas on which PPPs are used (non-agricultural land, lawns, sports fields, roads, etc.).

Consumption of PPPs per hectare of cultivated land in Slovenia is higher than in most other EU countries, but comparable to other countries with similar types of cultivated plants and agroclimatic conditions. Slovenia agriculture production is characterized by a large share of permanent crops - orchards, vineyards and hop gardens, where the consumption of plant protection products (especially fungicides) per hectare is much higher than for cereals and other field crops. Fungicides account around two thirds of all PPPs used in Slovenia in the whole analyzed period (1992–2021), with the largest share of environmentally less harmful sulfur-based inorganic fungicides.

The downward trend in the herbicide consumption is mainly due the novel products applied at a lower dose of active substance per hectare and significant changes in the cropping practice and less due to the replacement of herbicide use with non-chemical weed control methods. In the last twenty years, the area under cash crops that require more intensive use of plant protection agents (winter cereals, maize, potatoes, oilseed rape) has significantly decreased within the crop rotation. In the same period, the area sown with grass and grass-clover mixtures has increased by more than 10.000 hectares.

Consumption of insecticides, which account for less than 5% of all PPPs used, varies mainly depending on weather conditions affecting pest development.

The registration, sales and use of PPPs for the protection of consumers of agricultural products and the protection of the environment - especially water resources - are regulated by legislation, where special restrictions are imposed within a water protection areas.