"Vindija" opened factory of poultry meet in Plandište – production of fodder in Valjevo starting July

Croatian Minister of Agriculture, Fishing and Rural Development, Božidar Pankretić, and the Minister of Agriculture of Serbia, Saša Dragin, officially put Plandište-based unit for production of poultry meat and meat products, the property of factory "Vindija" in which over 12m EUR was invested, in operation on May 8th. In that way, the largest Croatian food industry started announced expansion in the region. The CEO of “Vindija”, Dragutin Drk, told eKapija that the modernization of factory for fodder production in Valjevo was in progress and that it should be opened in July.

As Drk explained, the aim of "Vindija" in Serbia is to establish a full production cycle, which is the main asset of the company. Therefore, "Vindija" has either bought or rented three poultry farms – in nearby Velika Greda, Plandište and Vršac.

(Dragutin Drk)

- "Vindija" bought slaughterhouse "Planima Farms" in January 2009 and turned it into a modern meat industry with 160 employees. Annual production will amount to about 3,000 tons of poultry products, that is, classical grill broilers and cut meat, while the production of meat products is in the pipeline. Certain part of poultry meat products will be intended for Serbian market, while the rest will be exported. Recently built "Vindija’s" commercial center in Lajkovac will be used for finding of markets for products from Plandište, while the fodder factory in Valjevo, former "Unip", will be, primarily, supplying farms of our industry – said Drk.

In addition to distributive centers, "Vindija" also has a dairy and a slaughterhouse for poultry meat packing within former Collective Dairy in Lajkovac, which was bought by the company in 2005. “Vindija” also plans to start investing in it in the following period.

(Saša Dragin)

Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Saša Dragin, said that "Vindija" was going to introduce European quality standards in the factory in Plandište, besides investments and new jobs.

- It is of great importance for Serbian and Croatian companies to cooperate because they have a long tradition in production of quality food. Only the joint appearance in the region can help us become equally competitive as prominent market players – said Dragin.

He reminded that annual production of poultry meat in Serbia exceeded 65,000 tons, that is, it amounted to 12-13% of overall cattle production.

Božidar Pankretić, Croatian Minister of Agriculture, invited Serbian manufacturers to invest in Croatia and expressed hope that “Vidija’s” investment would signify the beginning of large joint projects in neighboring countries.

(Božidar Pankretić)

- Agriculture is today exposed to the high level of liberalization and strong competition all around the world, and that is why I sincerely welcome this direct regional cooperation – said Pankretić, adding that the production of poultry meat in Croatia represented 10% of overall agricultural production, and nearly 20% of cattle production.

The units of factory "Vindija" in Plandište cover the area of 7,000 square meters, while the factory grounds occupy the surface of 55,000 square meters. The factory has HACCP standard, and it will soon introduce the same standards as all other members of Business system "Vindija".

(unit in Plandište)

That system comprises nine companies, 6 of which are production companies with over 1,000 different products, starting from cheese and other dairy products to natural fruit juices. "Vindija", which celebrates the 50th birthday this year, has 3,860 workers and its turnover in 2008 amounted to 440m EUR, 29m EUR of which was intended for investments.