Pankretić: Excellent wheat yield, surpluses around 100 thousand tons

The Vice President of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and Minister of Agriculture Božidar Pankretić emphasized at a press conference of the HSS at the fair in Gudovac, near Bjelovar, that much has been done this year for the development of agriculture and that the wheat yield is excellent, with a surplus of around 100 thousand tons.

Pankretić believes that the announcement of a good yield of rapeseed and corn, as well as the simultaneous reduction of input costs for producers, provides reasons for optimism. He reported that food imports in the first half of the year increased by two percent compared to the same period last year, while in monetary terms, the growth was 36 percent due to rising food prices on the global market and changes in the dollar exchange rate. He supported this with examples, highlighting that frozen beef imports decreased by three percent during the mentioned period, but 50 percent more money was spent on it. The quantity of imported flour and bakery products decreased by three percent, but their costs increased by as much as 58 percent.

However, Pankretić is not satisfied with such a two percent increase in imports because, as he believes, the only way out is through investments and the growth of domestic production, for which, as he stated, the Ministry has enabled producers to receive a return of up to 50 percent of capital investments, not only for projects financed by loans but also for those funded with their own money.

The President of HSS, Josip Friščić, assessed that the recent price reductions are good for lowering inflation and for consumers, emphasizing that care must be taken not to pass this burden onto producers, who must be enabled to develop profitable production, otherwise it could decrease. He believes that traders who set the conditions for producers are key in this regard. If producers sell products, for example, mandarins or apples, for three kuna per kilogram, the upper price level in stores should be six kuna, not between 10 and 15 kuna, which is unacceptable. The Vice President of HSS and Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs pointed out the importance of domestic food production for tourism.

In response to a journalist’s question about whether HSS will form a coalition with SDP or HDZ in the local elections, Friščić replied that people at the local level know each other best and function better because they understand the priorities in specific areas. He stated that HSS has finally welcomed a new way of conducting local elections that it has advocated for a decade precisely because people in the village know each other. He added that HSS achieved better results in local elections than in parliamentary ones. Friščić believes that coalitions at the local level will not be conditioned by the current coalitions at the national level. When asked again if this means that HSS will coalition with both HDZ and SDP, Friščić replied that even now on the political scene, HDZ is in coalition with both HSS and SDP, and SDP is also in coalition with both HSS and HDZ. (Hina)