Croatian Grower Gives Away 5,000 Corn Cobs for Free
Josip Nemet from Turnašica faces zero demand for sweet corn, so instead of letting it rot, he offers it to citizens.
Josip Nemet from Turnašica faces zero demand for sweet corn, so instead of letting it rot, he offers it to citizens.
While many wonder why food prices are high, one producer from Pitomača is battling an absurd situation: he cannot sell thousands of cobs of fresh sweet corn. Josip Nemet, a vegetable grower from Turnašica, has hit a wall because buyers simply have no interest in his crop.
On Friday, August 7, 2026, Nemet publicly invited citizens to come to his farm and take corn for free. The reason is a brutally short shelf life. "Sweet corn can last a maximum of five days, and to avoid throwing it away, I decided to give it away," Nemet explained to Podravski list. On his property, 5,000 cobs were waiting without a buyer.
The response was decent, with some individuals taking up to 300 cobs. However, this does not solve the deeper problem. Nemet points out that demand has fallen due to imports, as well as more people turning to growing this summer delicacy themselves. An additional blow is the holiday season, which leaves marketplaces half-empty.
This is not the first time this experienced vegetable grower has had to give away the fruits of his labor. "The situation for those of us in vegetable farming gets worse year after year. Last year, we had to throw away and give away zucchini and tomatoes, and now even selling sweet corn is no longer secure," he said. He added that he would be happy to break even this year, without a loss.
Despite everything, his business is still not in the red. The secret lies in diversity. Nemet grows 23 types of vegetables and is at a market almost daily. "What I manage to sell that way covers the deficit that arises when there's no wholesale buying or when prices are miserable," he explained.
Although he doesn't want to think about whether someone might resell the corn they got for free, he admits it breaks his heart to throw away something he put effort into. "I don't bother myself with whether someone will try to sell what they got from me. That's on their conscience," Nemet said.
His main message is directed at institutions. He is convinced that all small producers share the same fate and that systemic intervention is necessary. "It's the state that should find a way for domestic production to survive," concluded this grower from the Pitomača area.
