THE ACTUAL SITUATION AND THE PERSPECTIVES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC FOOD MARKET IN CROATIA

U novije vrijeme turizam i poljoprivreda postali su važni kao gospodarske grane na kojima bi se morala zasnivati cjelokupna gospodarska strategija razvitka Republike Hrvatske. U okviru poljoprivrede posebno se ističe relativno nova djelatnost - ekološka poljoprivreda. Glavna je svrha rada ustanoviti koji su čimbenici uspješnosti plasmana ekološke hrane hrvatskih proizvođača. Primarni podaci prikupljeni su: kvalitativnim istraživanjem hrvatskih proizvođača ekoloških hrane istraživanjem navika kupnje ekološke hrane i poznavanja pojma ekološke hrane kod hrvatskih potrošača na uzorku od 183 ispitanika. Rezultati istraživanja značajni su, kako za proizvođače ekološke hrane, tako i za trgovce, i to zato što ukazuju na ključne elemente poboljšanja plasmana hrvatskih ekoloških proizvoda - povećavanje fizičke dostupnosti ekološke hrane prosječnom hrvatskom potrošaču i smanjivanje maloprodajne cijene ekološke hrane povećanjem proizvodnih kapaciteta i/ili njihovo udruživanje u krovnu organizaciju. Samo dovoljno veliki samostalni proizvođači ili krovna organizacija ekoloških proizvođača mogu jamčiti količine i kvalitetu potrebnu lancima supermarketa.Nowadays, tourism and agriculture have become important economic sectors for the entire strategy of the Croatian economic development. Organic agriculture and organic food production are among the most important trends in the context of that. The main goal of the research is to establish the factors that influence the success of placing organic food made by Croatian producers on market. Primary data was collected by: 1. a qualitative research of the Croatian producers of organic food, and 2. a research on the shopping habits of consumers concerning organic food and on the consumer awareness of the meaning of the term “organic food.” Altogether, 183 consumers were interviewed. The fi ndings are important for producers and traders as well, because they point out key elements for improving the placement of Croatian organic food on the market: to increase the availability of organic food to an average Croatian consumer and to lower the retail price of the organic food. It could be obtained by increasing production capacities and/or by organizing the association of organic food producers. Only large independent producers or association of organic food producers could guarantee adequate quantities and quality for retail chains