Published: 21.04.2023.

On April 13th 2023, a round table discussion titled “Sustainability of Bee Product Production” was held at the College of Applied Sciences “Lavoslav Ružička” in Vukovar. Experts from various fields gathered at the event and contributed their knowledge and experience to the discussion on the importance of sustainable bee product production.

Ivan Dumendžić, mag. cin., president of the Beekeeping Association “Vukovar 91”, introduced the association that brings together numerous beekeepers in the region. He spoke about the challenges facing beekeeping and expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration between the association and the College in attempting to solve the problems faced by beekeepers. Useful perspectives from the field of marketing, titled “Marketing and Branding of Food Products,” were presented by Assistant Professor Mirjana Nedović, college professor. She emphasized the importance of branding bee products and how marketing can raise awareness of the importance of sustainable bee product production among consumers. Assistant Professor Slobodan Stojanović, college professor, an expert in accounting and business finance, shared research and thoughts on the financial dimension of sustainable bee product production. Zvonimir Filipović, mag. oec., sales manager at PIK Vrbovec plus d.o.o., and an expert in the food industry, presented how small producers can enter large chains and promote cooperation between large and small producers. Assistant Professor Sandra Mrvica Mađarac, college professor, with a long-standing research interest in tourism and innovations in tourism, presented the most important perspectives from that field titled “Agrotouristic Animation as an Added Value to Agriculture.”

The host of the event, Dean of the College, Assistant Professor Željko Sudarić, college professor, also expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration and emphasized openness for further collaboration and exchange of knowledge and experience. His words sparked optimism among the participants and demonstrated how important networking and joint action are in finding solutions to challenges in beekeeping.

The students stood out, particularly with their questions, showing that they were active participants in the discussion on this important topic. Ultimately, the round table discussion was an excellent example of collaboration among different experts who contributed their knowledge and experience to the discussion on the sustainability of bee product production. This event will undoubtedly serve as an excellent starting point for further research and collaboration in this important branch of agriculture, beekeeping.