As a small country, we have as many as four protected prosciutto products at the level of the European Union, and the production of prosciutto additionally contributes to the branding of Croatia as a gastronomic destination, which is extremely important to us because we are a tourist country, said Kovačević.
Istrian prosciutto carries the designation of origin and Krk, Drniš and Dalmatian ones are registered with the Protected Geographical Indication.
He said that according to the Institute for Tourism, 25 % of the total spending by tourists in Croatia is on food and drink, which means that more than €3.6 billion is spent on food and drink. And it's clear that prosciutto has its place here, Kovačević noted, adding that prosciutto belonged to traditional products that are particularly trendy among modern tourists.
They are looking, he said, for an escape from mass tourism and an authentic experience, so the consumption of such products is the best way to get to know the lifestyle, culture and traditions of the people who live in this area.
Kovačević also commented on the challenges in the production of prosciutto and pointed out that Croatia currently covers 52 % of the need for pork meat.
We are recording a huge foreign trade deficit of around €300 million, and the African swine fever that we had last year showed that we also have an additional problem with unregistered pigs, so we should start creating a new strategy for pig farming and changing some regulations very soon, he said.
The president of the Istrian Prosciutto Association, Paolo Jelenić, spoke about climate change and pointed out that serious producers were solving this problem with cutting-edge technology without intervening in the traditional approach.
According to the data presented, Croatia produces 500,000 pieces of prosciutto, and to cover the needs, it would need twice as much, more precisely, the Croatian market lacks another 500,000 pieces.
However, in the last ten years, producers have invested more than €50 million in new facilities and equipment, and the quality of Croatian prosciutto is unquestionable, as the Days of Croatian Prosciutto will show, the press release said.
The 10th Days of Croatian Prosciutto will be held on 19 and 20 April at the International Hotel in Zagreb, the Croatian Prosciutto Cluster announced on Thursday.
This event, which is held in a different city every year, promotes the four products certified and protected at the level of the European Union, including the Dalmatian and Drniš prosciutto, the only ones in the Mediterranean that are still smoke-dried, said the executive director of the Croatian Prosciutto Cluster, Ante Madir.