As Croatia prepares to host the World Congress of Agricultural Journalists, Prof. Dr. Dragan Kovačević, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK), discusses the country’s record agri-food trade deficit, the potential of premium products, and why branding and international promotion are critical to repositioning Croatian agriculture on the global map
The World Congress of Agricultural Journalists IFAJ Croatia 2026 will place Croatian agriculture at the center of the international public eye. From September 16 to 20, more than 200 media professionals whose work focuses on food and rural life will arrive in Croatia. It will be an exceptional opportunity to showcase both large and small producers across the crop farming, livestock, fruit growing, vegetable production, viticulture, organic, and other agricultural sectors.
To find out where Croatian agriculture stands today, we spoke with the Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy for Agriculture and Tourism, Prof. Dr. Dragan Kovačević,
How would you assess the current state of foreign trade in agricultural and food products in Croatia?
Two key problems of Croatian agriculture – low self-sufficiency and low productivity – combined with growing demand, continue to drive excessive growth in imports of agricultural and food products. Last year, we imported agricultural and food products worth nearly €7 billion, recording the highest trade deficit in history, which reached €2.85 billion. The import coverage by exports dropped from 74% in 2020 to 59% last year. Due to low self-sufficiency, we are unable to absorb disruptions in international markets, which continuously spill over into Croatia as inflationary shocks. Unfortunately, these trends are continuing this year as well. The deficit in the first quarter rose by 10%, and the import coverage by exports fell from 61% in 2025 to 58%.
Restructuring Croatia’s Trade Balance
Which sectors have the greatest export potential, and where do you see room for additional growth?
We achieve the largest surplus in exports in foreign trade of cereals, followed by oilseeds and fish. Cereals account for over 70% of the trade surplus, while on the other hand, about 80% of imports consist of food industry products with higher added value.
This trade structure confirms that Croatia needs to change its production structure, shifting more toward higher-value and more profitable production – from vegetable and fruit growing to livestock farming and strengthening processing capacities. It is not good that through various support measures, we indirectly co-finance foreign processing capacities and value-added products through raw material exports, which we then end up importing in excess.
For example, consider the situation with wheat exports and imports of frozen bakery and milling products. We also need to work further on marketing and on markets where we already traditionally achieve good results, particularly in exporting fish and processed products, tobacco and tobacco products, cocoa products, and other highly finished food industry products. There are also premium oils, wines, and alcoholic beverages that, given the numerous international awards and recognitions, as well as organic certifications, could be better positioned in premium markets.
Does Croatia have anything to offer outside the EU market, given the size of its economy?
Looking at the structure of export markets in 2025, approximately 68% of total export value goes to the EU market, while about 24% goes to our neighboring region (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia), where we are well-positioned among consumers with recognizable traditional brands.
The remaining approximately 8% relates to exports to other third countries, primarily Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Lebanon, and Albania (accounting for over 60%). Exports outside the EU and our region are small in volume and cover a specific range of products, requiring stronger promotion. Tuna is exported to Japan, live cattle to Lebanon, and to other markets mainly various processed products, wine, and alcoholic beverages. I believe that for Croatia, given low self-sufficiency, energy crises, and geopolitical conflicts that threaten and make supply chains more expensive, the most interesting export markets are precisely the regional ones and EU markets with greater purchasing power, while Croatian tourism also represents a significant opportunity for “export.”
Branding as a Necessity
Which products can we highlight as Croatia’s flagships? Do we have a strategy for the many food products within the protected quality label system?
Croatia has a large number of products with protected geographical designations. There are as many as 75 protected Croatian products in the EU register, of which 51 are agricultural and food products, 18 are wines, and 6 are spirits. We rank eighth in the EU by number of protected food products, which, given that we are a small country geographically, clearly speaks to our rich history, culture, and technological tradition.
However, with the exception of wines and alcoholic beverages, olive oil, cheese, and some meat products, the production and trade of such products are small or negligible. This indicates that the model for developing the production and promotion of protected products should be improved. The goal should not be the number of protected products. The goal should be the highest possible production and placement of protected products, as these are higher added-value products that should play a strong role in branding eno-gastronomy, particularly in the premium tourism offering.
How important is strengthening added value and product branding for more successful exports?
In the case of Croatia, given the small production volume and strong competitive pressure, branding is essential – both for producers and for the products themselves. Branding of food products should emphasize our distinctiveness, authenticity, and tradition, which should ultimately increase market value and recognition.
Take the wine sector as just one example. Croatian wines win numerous awards at the most prestigious competitions and are of premium quality, but we need to invest further in marketing and promotion to position ourselves on global wine maps and for Croatia to be recognized as a wine country. This would also be an additional contribution to tourism, particularly year-round tourism, where eno-gastronomy plays a key role in the pre- and post-season. The Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) is intensively working on national branding of wine and fish through the projects Vina Croatia – Vina Mosaica and Riba Hrvatske – Eat What’s Worth It.
Markets, Barriers, and the Role of Agricultural Journalism
How important is strengthening added value and product branding for more successful exports?
The main obstacles are quantities and price competitiveness, which are directly linked to low productivity and insufficient production capacities. Large systems and larger producers face fewer problems entering foreign markets, as they have their own capacity for planning and organizing exports. Smaller producers, who are just looking to establish themselves in new markets, lack the personnel, information, and resources needed to implement marketing and export strategies.
Since we are part of the EU single market, the flow of goods between member states is generally smooth and straightforward. There are exceptions related to certain products (e.g., excise goods) and certain aspects (e.g., food safety), or related to specific national regulations of EU member states (e.g., food labeling and packaging). A bigger challenge lies with third-country markets, given their inconsistent rules and procedures for importing products. When entering third markets, especially distant countries, our producers most often face a series of interconnected challenges. These include obtaining necessary certifications, adapting products to local markets, and high costs of market entry. Such costs encompass market research, marketing, establishing distribution networks – including the organization and high costs of transport – particularly for food products with a short shelf life. Producers also encounter different technical standards, administrative procedures, and other trade and non-trade barriers that increase the complexity of doing business abroad.
In what ways does the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) support producers and exporters in finding new markets? Are there specific programs or initiatives aimed at strengthening export competitiveness in agriculture?
HGK encourages market diversification and the entry of domestic producers into foreign markets. We organize joint presentations of our producers at national stands, mostly with financial support, at leading global and regional food fairs, such as SIAL/Paris, ANUGA/Cologne, Seafood Expo Global/Barcelona, ProWein/Düsseldorf, PLMA/Amsterdam, CONXEMAR/Vigo, Green Week/Berlin, Seafood Expo North America/Boston, Economy Fair/Mostar, Wine Paris, and Wine Vision/Belgrade. In cooperation with the Croatian National Tourist Board, at eight major international tourism fairs, through the HGK Cheese & Wine Meetup promotional project, we promote Croatia’s eno-gastronomic offering at the most significant international tourism fairs, including ITB Berlin, f.re.e Munich, Ferien Messe Vienna, IMEX Frankfurt, WTM London, IBTM World Barcelona, BOOT Düsseldorf, and others.
To facilitate the entry of Croatian producers into international markets, HGK offers its members a range of services focused on business internationalization, including the preparation of foreign market analyses, organization of economic delegations, business forums, trade fairs, and B2B meetings, connecting with potential foreign partners through our network of international contacts and representative offices (Brussels, Vienna, Shanghai, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Mostar, Moscow), as well as providing information on regulatory requirements and business conditions in specific markets. We actively mediate in resolving administrative barriers to entering foreign markets — an example being certificates related to food safety. Additionally, through the Digital Chamber, we provide all our businesspeople with easy access to information on international business operations.
From the perspective of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, how do you assess the significance of hosting the World Congress of Agricultural Journalists in Croatia, and what opportunities does this event open for the international promotion of Croatia’s agri-food sector?
The World Congress of Agricultural Journalists is an excellent opportunity for the promotion of Croatia, our agriculture and food products. This is precisely why the Croatian Chamber of Economy has actively engaged in the event.
Such a concentration of journalists from around the world is significant in the context of branding, which is particularly important for us in the segment of premium food products and beverages.
The global community of agricultural journalists will gain an objective insight into the state and potential of our food production sector. Participants will have the opportunity to see firsthand parts of Croatia and some of our small and large producers across various sectors of primary production, which will enable them to form a comprehensive impression of our agriculture.
How important are agricultural journalists in shaping the perception of a national agri-food sector?
Here we can generally speak about the exceptionally important role of media in shaping public opinion – partly through informing and educating consumers and promoting innovations and trends, and partly as our partner and corrective force vis-à-vis policymakers and agricultural policy decision-makers.
The role and responsibility of journalists is particularly important in crises such as natural disasters, market disruptions, or animal disease outbreaks, when journalism can significantly contribute to preventing panic and maintaining the stability of food supply chains.
Food production and agricultural policy are complex areas encompassing various topics – from agronomic, economic, social, trade, demographic, regional, security, environmental, climate, health, and other issues. Journalists play an important role in shaping awareness about food – from food safety, human health, environmental protection, and climate change – thereby influencing consumer behavior as well.
