Istrian hotels could be offering the cured meats, cheeses, wines, and free-range eggs from Slavonian farmers in the next tourist season.
For years, farmers and owners of numerous OPGs have been trying to find a way to place their products in tourist destinations along the Adriatic Sea. They believe that this will ensure a safe domestic market, while at the same time, hotels and restaurants will receive quality food, reports Vecernji List on November 22, 2018.
Thinking in that direction, representatives of several Istrian hotel companies visited the Vukovar-Srijem County. The aim of the visit was to establish concrete cooperation with local agricultural producers whose products could be found on the tables of Istrian hotels.
“This is the first step in the agreement between farmers and large hotels who expressed their interest in a series of products that could be found in their offer for the next tourist season. It is up to us to conclude this cooperation,” said Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Božo Galić.
The director of the country firm Agro-klaster Zdenko Podolar pointed out that apart from the interest of hotels, no guarantees for cooperation have been made or given to them by anyone.
“They are interested in cured meat products, cheeses, and wines, and we are also thinking about a project of free-range egg production, which would be a significant project that would guarantee long-term cooperation. We are already doing a study on that with the Faculty of Agriculture. In some segments, the basic problem is the amount. If we increase production, we have to provide distribution channels and refrigerators and warehouses at sea. This can be done with EU money, but now the most important thing is for us to come up in these hotels,” said Podolar.
Slavonian pig farmer Vlado Ferbežar emphasized that manufacturers must be able to make the right product, pack it and distribute it.
“All of this is a big step, but it requires great money and we need financial help. The state could do a lot, but everything stays in the story. A serious producer has no time to sit at a desk and respond to all the demands because they have a lot of work to do and do not come just to meet the administration’s needs,” Ferbežar said.
Director of the Food and Drink Industry at Valamar Riviera, Dario Kinkela, said they are extremely interested in cooperation.
“With the manufacturers, we need to define the conditions and quantities for future cooperation. The most interesting are cured meats, fresh meat, eggs, nuts, brandies, as well as fruits and vegetables that we have a huge demand for on a daily basis,” Kinkela concluded.
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