The forum was organised in Zagreb within a joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Croatia's Agriculture Minister, the Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and a Croatian small farming association.
The ministry's state secretary, Marija Vuckovic, said that Croatia could not be satisfied with the current state of affairs in this sector in light of the fact that the country produces 157,000 tonnes of vegetables and 130,000 tonnes of fruits, whereas the imports of these kinds of food total 300 million euros annually.
The insufficient amount of produce, low competitiveness, high imports and a low level of associations of producers are some of the problems the sector is faced with, she said.
She mentioned a few measures being taken by the the government in a bid to help this sector to develop such as simplification of procedures for rural development schemes, the farmland law and the legislation banning unfair competition.
The EBRD director for Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary and Slovakia, Vedrana Jelusic Katusic spoke about the need to establish associations among producers to facilitate sales, access to modern technologies and the exchange of the know-how and access to funding.
Andriy Yarmak of FAO spoke of the importance of connecting food production and tourism. in the context of Croatia being an increasingly popular destination with holiday-makers preferring local cuisines.