ZAGREB, April 22, 2019 – The Baby Beef association has recently reported that the sale of Croatian beef in retail chains and butcher shops has increased at a double-digit rate and that this year beef cattle farming will increase between 10% and 15%.
The association sees this as a turning point in the beef production in Croatia.
For the first time in ten years the growth in rate of the volume of imported beef has been stopped and last year it grew by 2% while imported fresh beef increased by 1% which could almost be described as stagnation. At the same time the sale of beef branded by the Baby Beef association increased by 25% in certain retail chains, the president of the association, Darko Celovec said.
He added that more than 50 new members have joined the association this year and production is increasing.
According to the association, Croatian beef has entered into seven large retail chains and the number of butcher shops ordering baby beef has increased too. To date 29 partner agreements have been signed for the use of the Baby Beef brand, the association said in a press release.
“Our results have proved that Croatian consumers seek domestic products,” Celovec said.
The association believes that business with Croatian beef could grow between 10% and 20% this year.
Celovec added that this refers to exports too, underlining that Croatian beef is exceptionally valued on foreign markets and that about 50% of beef owned by the association’s members is exported.
Three new markets have opened up – Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro and intensive negotiations are underway to enter the Turkish market, the press release said.
The Baby Beef association bring together about 330 cattle farmers with 120,000 cattle a year and generate more than one billion kuna in revenue. About 50% of that is exported either as live animals to the Middle East or sold as fresh meat to Italy.
More news about Croatian agriculture can be found in the Business section.
