Meggle Srbija to pour EUR 2.5 mil in production development – Dairy company to get permits for exports to EU and Russia by year's end

This year, Meggle Srbija is planning an investment of some EUR 2.5 million and is ready to provide financial support to farmers in Sumadija and Serbia because it expects to get export permits for the EU and the Russian Federation by the end of the year, Branimir Bogdan, the company director, said Sunday, 6 April 2014.

- We have extremely ambitious but also realistic plans for this year - Bogdan told Tanjug news agency, stressing that the company was proud of not planning to stagnate this year but to continue development.

According to him, all promises made three years ago, when Germany's Meggle took over Kragujevac-based Mladost, have not only been fulfilled but exceeded as well.

- Since we entered the Serbian market, we have been generating a constant growth. We ended 2013 with twice higher production volume and sales compared to the period before the acquisition of Kragujevac-based dairy – Bogdan pointed out.

Underlining that Serbia was the primary market for the company, Bogdan pointed out that some of its business activities in 2014 would be focused on exports because, as he said, he expected that by the end of 2014, Meggle would get to own an export registry number for the EU and the Russian Federation. As Bogdan reminded, Meggle has so far poured almost EUR 9 mil in Serbia, i.e. in production capacity expansion, purchase of raw materials, machinery, reconstruction of facilities and finished goods warehouse, etc.

Bogdan said that their objective in the Serbian market, especially in the Kragujevac and Sumadija regions, was to develop quality producers of raw materials, adding that the company would provide financial support to all producers planning to engage in that type of production.

- Our objective is to export to the EU and Russia and we need a quality product for that as well as quality raw material as a prerequisite. We are ready to provide any kind of support to anyone who wants to develop production – Bogdan underlined.

Pointing out that consumers can choose from 60 dairy products at the moment, such as long-lasting milk, yogurt, cheese spreads, sour cream for cooking, chocolate milk with “jaffa” cookie taste, Bogdan mentioned that foreigners’ favorite product was pepper in sour cream.

- This is why I believe that this traditional Serbian product will hit the shelves of shopping centers all around Europe – Bogdan said.