Germany's Carl Kuehne looking for subcontractors in Srem – Cooperation with gherkin producers in Serbia planned

Since April 2017, the German company Carl Kuehne, which has a tradition of over three centuries behind it, has opened an office and cooling plants and brought gherkin sorting machines to Sremska Mitrovica.

These days, it is looking for agricultural producers from Srem interested in producing gherkins on areas of 500 to 1,000 m2.

In cooperation with the Agency for Rural Development of Sremska Mitrovica, a presentation of a model of cooperation with the company was recently organized for around thirty vegetable producers from Sremska Mitrovica. According to Kosta Djurovic, who works at the company's office in Sremska Mitrovica, Carl Kuehne offers to its subcontractors agronomic support and the organization of educational courses, prospects with detailed instructions for the production of gherkins, help in financing processed materials, daily purchase, weekly payments and advice on fertilization and preventive protection from diseases through a text message service.

– There are interested parties – Djurovic says. – The gherkins we buy out are new in this market, and the producers are consequently not sufficiently familiar with the technology, but there are local farmers from Srem who are contacting us and who are interested in signing an agreement with us. We are talking smaller areas primarily, around 1,000 m2.

The company realized a successful cooperation with the Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica last year. The institution grew gherkins for the company, and according to Djuric, the cooperation will continue in 2018.

The Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica is a reliable subcontractor for us and we will continue cooperating with them this year as well. Our company intends to have subcontractors for the production of gherkins throughout Serbia, which is why we've expanded our offer to many local self-governments. Gherkins grown in the area would be stored in our cooling plant in Sremska Mitrovica, and if we find subcontractors in other local self-governments in Serbia, we will provide them with gherkin-sorting machinery. The machine sorts gherkins into three classes, and producers will bring the products to where it is located. They will be handing over the goods there, immediately receive a confirmation about the amount delivered and the class of the gherkins, and then be paid seven days later – Djurovic says.

The company has been operating for four years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and last year it started operating in Serbia as well, aiming to have smaller family farms produce the goods on areas of 500 to 1,000 m2, so that they could carry out the entire cultivation process within the family. The company's seat is located in Hamburg, and, in addition to plants in Germany, they also have production facilities in France, Turkey and Poland.

Carl Kuehne d.o.o. Beograd

Agencija za ruralni razvoj Grada Sremska Mitrovica

Grad Sremska Mitrovica

Carl Kuehne

gherkins

production of gherkins

cucumbers

production of cucumbers

Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica

Kosta Djurovic

Hamburg

sorting gherkins

Srem