Record production in the Kalnik vegetable factory in Varaždin

The Kalnik vegetable factory has achieved record production in the last five years in spite of the disastrous effect of the drought on the pea and green bean crops. The processing of these vegetable cultures was far from satisfactory, but this was transformed into a great advantage thanks to the excellent gherkin and beetroot season. The first deliveries of bell peppers, the processing of which began this week, promise that this record trend will continue, and that at the end of the year the situation will be more than satisfying.

The factory has been working non-stop since the beginning of July, in three shifts, on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. According to the director, Novica Ciglar, an increased volume of gherkin processing, surpassing the plan by 21%, made up for the lack of peas and green beans. Furthermore, 500 tonnes of beetroot have already been processed, although only 300 tonnes had been planned. The total production plan for July has been surpassed by 55%.

This year, Kalnik was to process 9,000 tonnes of different vegetables, and as things stand at the moment, it will process an additional 1,000 tonnes. Due to the great demand the products are immediately delivered to shops, but the problem of the lack of raw material on the domestic market will persist if the state does not decide to stimulate the production of vegetables for industrial processing. In Kalnik, they say that Podravka is advocating higher incentives to producers than those proposed in the bill regulating this issue, and which is now being reviewed by Parliament. Out of the seven counties which supply Kalnik with vegetables, only the County of Varaždin independently decided to stimulate the production of bell peppers with 20 lipa per kilo, which, among other things, is evidence of the good co-operation Podravka has with their local administration.