Croatia: Podravka opens a new tomato processing plant

Croatian food and pharmaceuticals manufacturer Podravka opened a 13 million euro (USD 14.2 million) tomato processing plant in Varazdin, in northern Croatia.
 
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic attended the opening of Podravka's new tomato processing plant in Varazdin. He praised all Podravka employees, especially those who participated in the project of producing Croatian tomatoes that will be used in Podravka products. He emphasized that this is a modernization of production that employs 270 people.

Podravka's new plant aims to upgrade and boost its processing capacity, increase the company's independence in the production of industrial fruits and vegetables, and respond to rising costs. The plant has a daily processing capacity of 1,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes, according to the company’s press release. It is situated within Podravka’s existing fruit and vegetable processing facility in Varazdin.

To support the new plant, Podravka has organized tomato cultivation on its own fields and those of its partners, covering around 400 hectares in total. This year, nearly 70 partners are growing tomatoes for Podravka, almost double the number from last year, with an expected total production of around 25,000 tonnes.

This investment is a crucial part of Podravka's initiative to increase tomato production and achieve self-sufficiency. It ensures that all the tomatoes used in the company’s key products, which are exported worldwide, will be sourced from Croatian fields, said CEO Martina Dalic.

Sources: See News, Croatia Stays