Strengthening the competition is of crucial importance, as companies can no longer rely only on their domestic markets in which competition already exists. This competition will grow tougher with Croatia's admission to the European Union, the minister said.
He pushed for an increase in production and in arable land, in which he said Croatia had potential.
Although the Croatian minister believes that the food sector has practically recovered from the crisis, executives of leading regional food companies were today more cautious in their assessments.
Atlantic Group CEO and largest shareholder Emil Tedeschi told the conference that the crisis in Croatia and its neighbours had not yet hit bottom and when it happened, the food industry would face the actual situation when it comes to living standards and purchasing power.
The president of Serbia's Victoria Group, Zoran Mitrovic, said the food industry in Serbia was hit by the crisis but to a lower extent than other industries.
The CEO of Bosnia's MIMS Group, Mujo Selimovic, said that the crisis was deep, with no recovery in the offing.