Lactalis is operating in many countries but so far it has not been present in this region. Dukat will now serve as a base for Lactalis's operations here, according to the press release.
Recalling its position of a global leader in cheese making with its brands President and Galbani, Lactalis said it invested in the development of local dairies wherever it operated, and pledged to do the same in Croatia.
Earlier on Tuesday, Lactalis owner Emmanuel Besnier met Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec in Paris, pledging that Lactalis would continue developing Dukat and that it would retain the present employees of Dukat and its affiliates.
Next week, Besnier will meet Croatian Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic to reaffirm the commitments.
Former Dukat owner Luka Rajic, who was in Bjelovar on Tuesday to discuss the effect of his decision on local cheese maker 'Sirela', said that nobody would be adversely affected by the sale of Dukat to French dairy company Lactalis.
"All I'm doing is in the interest of workers and their well-being," Rajic said after meeting Bjelovar Mayor Djurdja Adlesic, who had invited him to the town to clarify some uncertainties stemming from his decision to sell Dukat.
Asked by reporters about allegations that he had become the owner of Dukat thanks to war profiteering, Rajic said that he would not comment on accusations and that he would present his case after the completion of the entire deal and after he saw that all employees were safe.
Rajic added that the new owner would invest in the Sirela plant in Bjelovar.