Dukat Ready to Purchase Milk from Meggle’s Cooperatives

They state that at yesterday’s meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture with representatives of Meggle and the domestic dairy industry, they expressed their readiness to assist in creating the conditions for the continuation of milk purchases in Meggle’s purchasing area, with the support of the relevant ministry.

Over the last 10 years, the number of producers and the quantity of milk produced in Croatia have been continuously decreasing, they emphasize from Dukat, noting that today less than 50 percent of the required quantities of milk are produced in Croatia. Therefore, they say, it is essential to maintain the existing milk production.

– Milk production in Slavonia must not stop. Therefore, Dukat has expressed its readiness to contract cooperation with Meggle’s farmers, in accordance with its own available capacities for purchasing and processing milk and with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture – said Antun Milić, Director of Milk Purchasing and Production Development at Dukat.

Dukat collaborates with more than 2,000 small, medium, and large milk producers throughout Croatia. It has been organizing the purchase and processing of milk in Croatia for over 100 years. Only in the development of the business of its cooperatives – milk producers in the systematic development of long-term and partnership cooperation, Dukat invests more than 50 million kuna of its own working capital at the level of each business year, they state from Dukat.

They also remind that in order to prevent the halt of milk production, during the coronavirus epidemic, from the end of March to mid-June, they conducted emergency milk purchases from small dairies and their cooperatives, which were left without the possibility of marketing their products.

The company Meggle Hrvatska announced at the end of last week that it is restructuring its business in Croatia and will cease production in Osijek by the end of the year, resulting in the termination of around 160 workers whose jobs are being eliminated.

On Tuesday, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture after which Minister Marija Vučković told the 280 cooperatives that they are not endangered and have guarantees from the dairy industry that purchases will continue. Meggle, on the other hand, will continue cooperation with its cooperatives until December 31, she said.

The CEO of Meggle Hrvatska, Marjan Vučak, stated after the meeting that their decision to cease production is final.

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