Without food imports, Croatia would be hungry

By Tomislav Šoštarić

Although Croatia EU funds available for three years, as the market of 500 million people, farmers on the issue of how business suit with ridicule and waved his head.Vedran Lesic, a young farmer and owner of a successful family-farm AGROLOV of forts, and Goran Jančo from Punitovci near Djakovo, owner of the best family farm in 2015, said that Croatia, as agriculture is concerned, has not used the three years of EU membership .

Lesic is engaged in farming, he went and in fruit growing - walnut, apple, elder - and into the vegetable. Plans and cultivation of medicinal plants. Produced mainly exported, and the demand for it interesting cultures is constantly growing. There is also a poultry farm, where in one round produces 24,000 pieces of chicken.

SERBIA HAS RASPBERRIES, CZECH MAK ...

The state says Lesic, must help clear strategy - Serbia has a raspberry, Czech Republic max.And Croatia should, states, carry out an analysis of unused land and determine what more scarce, and the required culture to grow. strategy, he says, no.
'This is so far showed agricultural production each year fall, the family farm is the thousands off. The strategy must be made, that people know what they will produce, to know the prices, delivery times, quality and how long it takes. The strategy is the basis for future production. 'What matters is the way the business of others - gives the example of Austria, where a local retailer outlined plans and requirements for the procurement of large quantities of potatoes, but also offered a purchase price for four years, so that manufacturers can organize - both in terms deliver the required quantities and produce them for that price.

For Croatia, he says, by joining the EU the best thing to obtain the funds, but "if you do not come and do not come in the right hands, there will be no progress.

Substantial profits, does not offer

Most products soy and canola - oil plants still maintain a good price and can earn good. Therefore, it is not clear why these crops grown less, when cost-effective - especially with the incentives. Instead, the Slavonian farmers are still mostly focused on "classic", less profitable culture - wheat and corn. Lesic them completely out."The wheat and corn just can not compete with some serious producers of wheat, such as neighboring Hungary, Ukraine, Russia ... A lot of lower production costs can be achieved. I'd rather put more work and effort per hectare to get a higher income, but to deal with these cultures, "said Lesic.

His strategy is to do what is required, and the deficit, which means better prices and conditions which may be agreed by the purchasers - hence produces chamomile, went in very much in demand and profitable black cumin, poppy, thinking of fennel ... culture seekers more work, but better earnings. The business is run by what is observed in Sweden, where no one is interested height yield, because it is not a measure of profit - rather lower yields profitable culture, and higher profits.

Tradition as a brake

"The biggest problem with us is that people keep these traditions and traditional culture. They are not flexible. However, some initiatives should come from some of the body, these are perhaps the Advisory Service, which may need a little more help to educate people and to be instructed to engage in other cultures. the other thing is fragmentation, small particles - which manufactures couple acres can not compete in any serious market. "

The input cost of production, including raw materials, energy and others, constantly growing and production of fragmented plots is too small to Croatian farmers were price competitive. They must therefore, he says, do join, because it is one of the basic elements for a successful future."We have to overcome our own egos and think and understand - or we join together, or we perish. When we come together, when we have more acres, then we can compete with any culture, and especially to those who have income, as well as fruit, vegetables, herbs ... "

ON THE FARM WITH ONLY DEZINFEKCIJU

On the farm Goran Janče cares about each detail - the farm is free of all pathogens that can cause 'insidious' disease.
"Sow to infect a particular group of viruses, it is apparently healthy, eat, and when dusted, dusted three live, five dead and four mummified. I make two such cycles, multiply by 220 sows, this is a pure waste. '
Therefore, the farm no one should teach without preparation - showering, disinfecting and other security measures.
"Workers who work on farms signed contracts which prevents them keeping pigs in their own economy. We, of course, that part of them remunerated, make up, but because of some of that two to three pigs a year that they slaughter for their own purposes, we do not want to jeopardize our entire production, our livelihoods, and their. '

By combining is achieved by communication and collaboration. The possibilities are, shows immense.

"As soon as okrupni country, as soon as you have more, save at the entrance of raw materials, you get a better price. Exchange experiences and opinions, always profiled people who are better engaged in trade, which are better agronomists. Those who are better engaged in trade will find a favorable market to qualify for cheaper procurement of raw materials, will do better negotiations. Those who are adept as agronomists will better understand colleagues how to better produce. "

'Hidden grants'

Although also successful, and pig farmer Goran Jančo is facing numerous problems. The latest data are alarming - Croatia is the production of pork, the worst in Europe, and when she looked at as a country outside the EU, would be the eighth largest export market for pork from the EU.

Jančo wife and processed a total of 130 hectares of land, where they grow corn, barley and soybeans into livestock purposes. We also plan to processing soy for biodiesel production. But the focus on farm where produce 6,000 pigs a year. But, do business, says Jančo, in a paradoxical situation - in Denmark, which is to pig model, the domestic pork more expensive than in Croatia. The reason is, first of all, as other EU countries, as there is no incentive classic, supporting the so-called hidden subsidies.

"If their farmer proves that during the night raised three times and visited the sow to see if the pollinated, therefore receives a certain amount of money. Or prove that, instead of one or two drinkers, boxing has three, which allowed easier flow water animals. this implies well-being, and if it's ten animals in ten squares, and he put in 12 squares, again went to the detriment of themselves and for the welfare of the animals and the animals increased space. he colors the feeder in blue, instead of the green, because the pigs, according to a study, the better feel with blue. "

Import is worth

At the same time, in Croatia there is no such support, so manufacturers do not have the same conditions. Import pays off in any case."Somebody meat processing is more worthwhile to introduce a tow pig, pork, Austria, and at the same price because these imports do not pay value added tax. Because when you buy from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands ... pay the basic part, without payment of VAT. and if he buys from one of us, should the base rate to pay VAT. "

Overcome EGO, start thinking

The new incentive system, introduced last year, Lesic was pleased, though, he says, remains to be seen what will be the realization - incentives now late, and when the time for sowing and for a couple of days transferred, it feels.
Thanks for introducing subsidies for organic production - which could boost the cultivation of more profitable crops - and they noticed a small, young and new farmers.
A special problem is considered (not) the withdrawal of money from EU funds.
He has received more funds from pre-accession IPARD, with three years spent on paperwork.
Farmers, he says, is not coping with the complicated documentation and procedure.
'You should people in government to overcome his ego and really start to think, not just to talk to like Croatia. To love Croatia, they should understand that they have to put the public interest ahead of their own. Assets in the fund are huge and it is due to some less written regulations, or due to some buggy competition, waiting, or the administration too complicated to get it. '

There is also the question of frozen meat from countries that have a regulation that it can be stored up to six months or a year, and which is imported at the end of the deadline."They give the meat next to nothing, because after six months and one day they have the cost of safe disposal of this meat, they have to call a rendering plant where the meat is removed. And this is the cost, they will give it away for next to nothing. Such meat is coming to Croatia where no durability frozen meat. "It bothers him because the equalization of the meat, which is "yesterday sent to the slaughterhouse and is now on sale ', with those that were before the expiry date and the retail chains. They suggested, shows the solution to the problem of VAT.

finely brokering

"We are delivering a model where the state would stimulate producers of pigs that all appear to all be transparent, but this smart countries, such as Hungary and Austria are working to that part of the VAT divided between the state and the company. The state that nothing is lost , the start would be deprived of a certain percentage of VAT, however, anyone smart not to occur to slaughter pigs 'black' to 'obscured' that part. "Also, he says, the state does not help some regulations Planning farm as, he claims, in the more developed countries of the EU is not seen. To be at the height of the tourist season abolish import, states, Croatia would be hungry, because not independent when it comes to food. Therefore, he says, does not know why everything is done randomly, rather than strategic.

"I do not know what is worse, to think that intentionally or unintentionally. Aako think that is intentional, then I think there is someone smart who is pulling the strings, and probably will again go round different. But it all goes uncontrolled, and to me the most afraid, means that there's no one smart man pulling the strings. the few petty interests which are picked up by imports, small brokerage, to be done, but some strategies even in the negative sense that I think there are no real "concludes Jančo.

• 25 Jul, 2016
• 889 views