The indicator represents the consumption of mineral fertilizers in Slovenia in the period 1992–2019. Their total consumption and consumption of the main plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) are presented. The consumption of plant nutrients per hectare of utilized agricultural area is calculated and a comparison of nitrogen and phosphorus consumption with the countries of the European Union for the period of 2010–2017 is given.

Mineral fertilizers are substances, regardless of their physical state, which contain plant nutrients and are added to the soil or plants to improve growth, increase yields, improve crop quality or soil fertility and are obtained in an industrial process (Mineral Fertilizers Act, Ur. l. RS, 29/06).

In the period 1992–2019 the consumption of mineral fertilizers in Slovenia reduced by 35%. In that period the consumption of mineral fertilizers per hectare of utilized agricultural area also reduced by 3.5 kg/year or by 26%. The average nutrient consumption was 121 kg/ha (61 kg N/ha, 26 kg P₂O₅/ha and 33 kg K₂O/ha). In that period the consumption of N per ha reduced by 17%, P₂O₅ by 56% and K₂O by 57%. Among plant nutrients, N (52%) predominates in the composition of mineral fertilizers, followed by K₂O (27%) and P₂O₅ (22%). This fact confirms that mineral fertilizers in Slovenia are mainly used for top-dressing with nitrogen (use of nitrogen fertilizers), and fertilization with phosphorus and potassium is combined with the use of livestock fertilizers in pre-sowing tillage.

The reduction in the consumption of mineral fertilizers can be attributed to the requirements of the Nitrates Directive and the principles of good agricultural practice in fertilization, to which agricultural holdings have been committed in recent years, especially after 2004, when Slovenia joined the European Union (EU). Both documents pay more attention to the use of livestock manure and the consideration of plant nutrients in livestock manure when planning fertilization with mineral fertilizers. As the agricultural holdings must have fertilization plans in place, in which the plant nutrients used from livestock manure are also evaluated, the consumption of mineral fertilizers is reduced accordingly.

The consumption of nitrogen in Slovenia was in the period 2010–2017 lower (57 kg N/ha) than on average in the EU Member States (62 kg N/ha). The highest consumption of nitrogen was in the Netherlands (118 kg N/ha), Belgium (112 kg N/ha) and Luxembourg (103 kg N/ha), and the lowest in Romania (24 kg N/ha) and Portugal (30 kg N/ha).

The consumption of phosphorus in Slovenia was in the period 2010–2017 higher (19 kg P₂O₅/ha) than on average in the EU Member States (15 kg P₂O₅/ha). The highest phosphorus consumption was in Cyprus (40 kg P₂O₅/ha) and Poland (24 kg P₂O₅/ha) and the lowest in the United Kingdom (5 kg P₂O₅/ha).