Despite the fact that former Minister of Agriculture Tihomir Jakovina ceremoniously opened the Fish Wholesale Market in Tribunj at the end of October, it has not yet begun to operate at full capacity.
Director Elizabeta Kobeščak states that the problem lies with the local fishing cooperative Adria, which illegally manages the market and takes a large portion of the revenue for itself.
– The Adria cooperative received a concession for the maritime property on which the Wholesale Market was built. However, for the Fish Wholesale Market to operate normally, the cooperative must grant consent for the sub-concession, which the cooperative manager Robert Popov does not want – says Kobeščak.
The reason why the cooperative received the concession for the maritime property lies in the Concession Act, which states that concessions can be granted either to cooperatives or to local government. The previous government, says Kobeščak, decided on the fishing cooperative Adria as a market participant, but it seems that the cooperative has decided to operate on its own terms.
Namely, Popov produces ice at the Wholesale Market and sells it to fishermen for shocking, while selling fish to an Italian buyer with whom he has arranged a purchase in the name and account of the Wholesale Market, without having received authorization from the Management. Kobeščak wonders whether Popov even has a contract with the Italian buyer as she has not seen it, nor the contract for the purchase of fish from the fishermen. Popov did not respond to our questions.
