KOPRIVNICA KOPRIVNICA, May 27 (Hina) - The Croatian food industry 'Podravka' opened a new plant for the production of 'Vegeta' food additive, worth DM53 million, in the northern town of Koprivnica on Saturday. A ceremony marking the
opening of the plant was attended, among others, by Croatian President Stipe Mesic and First Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic. The start of production in the plant was symbolically marked by an 80-year-old Professor Zlata Bartl, the inventor of 'Vegeta' and the head of a team of 'Podravka' researchers, who in 1959 invented 'Vegeta' food additive, one of Croatia's best known products in the world. Vegeta, which is Podravka's most important product, accounts for 30 percent of the company's overall income earnings. The construction and equipment of the new Podravka plant, which will produce about 34,000 tonnes of Vegeta per year, will secure regular supply of the domestic and foreign mar
KOPRIVNICA, May 27 (Hina) - The Croatian food industry 'Podravka'
opened a new plant for the production of 'Vegeta' food additive,
worth DM53 million, in the northern town of Koprivnica on Saturday.
A ceremony marking the opening of the plant was attended, among
others, by Croatian President Stipe Mesic and First Deputy Prime
Minister Goran Granic.
The start of production in the plant was symbolically marked by an
80-year-old Professor Zlata Bartl, the inventor of 'Vegeta' and the
head of a team of 'Podravka' researchers, who in 1959 invented
'Vegeta' food additive, one of Croatia's best known products in the
world.
Vegeta, which is Podravka's most important product, accounts for 30
percent of the company's overall income earnings.
The construction and equipment of the new Podravka plant, which
will produce about 34,000 tonnes of Vegeta per year, will secure
regular supply of the domestic and foreign markets with Vegeta.
The construction of the plant was financed by the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development with DM33 million, Privredna Bank
with DM20 million, and by 'Podravka', which invested one million
German marks.
Some 150 workers will work in the plant, which is fully automated
and computerised.
In a speech delivered at today's ceremony, President Mesic said it
was good to open a new plant at a time when many factories were being
shut down. The number of employed will soon be much higher than the
number of job-seekers, Mesic said, adding that the measures
recently proposed by the Government would stimulate employment.
The problems we are facing are a consequence of a wrong policy and a
wrong model of privatisation and ownership transformation. If we
want a Croatia of rich and satisfied citizens, we should have more
ambassadors like 'Podravka', Professor Bartl, and 'Vegeta', Mesic
said.
The president of the 'Podravka' management, Darko Marinac, said the
aim of the leading Croatian food industry was to become the leading
company in central and east Europe. The company's work will be
judged by the market and the company will continue the process of
reorganisation in order to increase its competitiveness on the
European and world markets, he said.
Today's ceremony in Koprivnica was also attended by members of the
diplomatic corps in Croatia, Croatian Chamber of Commerce's
president Nadan Vidosevic, Koprivnica county and municipal
officials, and numerous 'Podravka' employees.
(hina) rml