HGK: Croatia spends 23 euros on organic products per capita

Croatia spends 23 euros on organic products per capita, while the EU average is 47 euros, and as the EU and global markets for organic products continue to grow, it means that Croatian producers also have opportunities for growth, emphasizes the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) in a statement about the opening of the BioFach fair in Nuremberg, Germany.

BioFach is the leading global fair for organic products, where more than 3,000 exhibitors from around 90 countries will be presented from February 14 to 17.

HGK has been organizing a joint appearance of Croatian companies at the fair for the tenth consecutive year and co-finances 50 percent of the costs for exhibitors (space rental and booth arrangement, shipping). This year, 11 Croatian organic food and fertilizer producers are presenting at the fair – Annapurna, Aronia Live, Bobica, Ecogos, Ekopatent plus, Exploria, Hermes International, Jan Spider, OPG Veselić, Stella mediterranea, Vegetariana.

>>>Tolušić: In agriculture, never more money, never less production

It is estimated that more than 50 thousand specialized buyers from around the world will see Croatian products, according to the HGK statement.

– In relation to the common single market of the EU, Croatia is a small agricultural country and needs to focus on producing products with higher added value and cooperation, said HGK Vice President Ivan Škorić at the opening of the fair.

He sees great potential for domestic organic producers, who primarily need to satisfy the growing domestic market, including tourist consumption.

– There is also a great opportunity in exports, and when we combine the quality of organic products with the local and traditional characteristics of domestic products, success should not be lacking, believes Škorić.

>>>The impact of the food industry on rural development

He also stated that the growing number of producers and areas in organic production in Croatia is encouraging – more than 6 percent of the area in the system is under organic production, which places Croatia at the EU average.

They also emphasize that more than 3,500 domestic entities in organic production and processing are part of the EU organic community, which consists of more than 350 thousand organic producers supplying the EU market of 500 million consumers.

– As far as Croatia is concerned, estimates indicate about 100 million euros in annual retail value of organic products, which represents just over 2 percent of the total value of retail food products. Unfortunately, most organic products on our market come from imports, emphasizes Škorić.

>>>Croatia imports as much as 71 kilograms of fruits and vegetables per capita

According to HGK, Croatian exhibitors see the BioFach fair as an opportunity to present their products and establish new partnerships with distributors and producers from other EU countries.

– We believe that the fair will open new business opportunities for us and that we will improve our knowledge and experience in the production and presentation of our products, says the owner of Stella mediterranea, Andrija Polić.

Polić and Marica Jug, from the producer organization Eco gospodarstva Slavonije, emphasize that with the help of HGK in organization, booth costs, and product delivery, our producers also have the opportunity to present the best organic products that Croatia has to offer.

– Most organic production in Croatia is fragmented, and only with such support do they have the opportunity to participate in the fair, which is one of the largest in the world in the organic sector of food production, cosmetics, and in recent years, organic producers of clothing and footwear have also been represented, emphasizes Marica Jug.