Croatia’s dependence on food imports raises strategic concerns

Supermarkets now must label country of origin of fruit and vegetables

Croatia’s agricultural sector is facing serious structural challenges, with growing dependence on food imports highlighting the need for urgent reform and a clearer long-term strategy.

Speaking on national broadcaster HRT’s Dnevnik, Aleksandar Mešić, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb, warned that current trends are unsustainable but can still be reversed through better organisation, targeted investment, and strategic planning.

A key issue lies in Croatia’s agricultural trade model. The country exports raw materials such as cereals and oilseeds, while importing higher-value processed products. According to Mešić, this imbalance leads to long-term financial losses and weakens domestic competitiveness.

He stressed that subsidising primary production without developing processing capacity effectively strengthens foreign producers, who add value to Croatian raw materials before exporting finished goods back to the market.

“This is not a good tactic, as significant value is lost,” he noted, calling for a shift towards higher-value production.

Self-sufficiency as a strategic priority

Experts argue that improving food self-sufficiency must become a national priority. Croatia currently falls short in several key sectors. Self-sufficiency stands at around 60% for pork and beef, 75% for poultry, and below 50% for fruit and vegetables.

The goal, Mešić emphasised, should not necessarily be global competitiveness, but meeting domestic demand, particularly for households and the tourism sector, through stronger local production.

Better organisation, investment in technology, and support for expertise could help increase quality while reducing prices, making Croatian products more competitive at home.

A major weakness remains the limited focus on food processing. While Croatia produces enough cereals and oilseeds for export, it lacks sufficient capacity to transform these into higher-value goods domestically.

In fruit and vegetable production, self-sufficiency varies widely. Some sectors perform strongly, with mandarins reaching up to full self-sufficiency and cherries and sour cherries exceeding domestic demand.

Apples are at around 80%, while tomatoes and cabbage range between 70% and 80%. Potato production, however, remains at roughly 50%, despite once meeting domestic needs.

Despite significant funding available through the European Union, results have been mixed. Marijana Petir, Chair of Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, highlighted that investments have not delivered the expected outcomes.

She pointed out that funds have often been spent without sufficient focus on creating added value, warning against measuring success purely by the absorption of funds rather than tangible results.

Mešić echoed this concern, noting that Croatia has lacked clearly defined goals and effective evaluation of support measures. He called for a new approach, starting with a realistic vision for the sector, followed by strategic planning and better-targeted subsidies.

Data also shows Croatia trailing behind other EU countries in agricultural growth. According to Marko Vešligaj, growth in the nominal value of agricultural production since 2010 has been just 9%, compared to the EU average of 52%. In real terms, Croatia has also seen a decline, while the EU overall has recorded growth.

This places the country among the weakest performers in the bloc, underlining the urgency of reform.

Experts agree that Croatia must shift its focus towards increasing domestic production, strengthening processing capacity, and improving the efficiency of support measures.