"Agreement with Tonnies prepared for June"

"Agreement with Tonnies prepared for June"

An agreement with the company is being prepared for June, Vucic told a press conference.

Tonnies said that a company team is already working on designing 10 farms in Serbia, noting that his arrival will generate work for Serbian meat producers, rather than stifle production.

Tonnies' intention is to produce a total of four million pigs at his farms, most of which would be purchased from our farmers, Vucic said.

The Serbian government and Tonnies - Europe's largest meat producer - signed a MoU last April.

German meat producer Tonnies, which is looking to come to the Serbian market and invest in the country, does not intend to put local farmers out of business, but to encourage pork production and exports, says company owner Clemens Tonnies.

At a press conference after a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar VucicTonnies, announced investments totaling up to EUR 300 mln over the next five years.

He said that Tonnies has no intention of taking money out of Serbia and that it will reinvest revenues into pig farming in Serbia.

Tonnies is not coming to reduce domestic production, but to prepare it for exports - we are exporting to 98 countries worldwide and have an 82 pct share in global exports. We have 16 export bureaus, which will be in a situation to export Serbian meat - that way, we will also boost demand in the country, he said.