04/2017
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19 S E R B I A Agriculture Bulletin Law on Serbian land sale to be published in June Government to fund “startups” for young farmers IPARD announces second agricultural grant info evening State of cooperatives in Serbia
All materials are published “as is” and are the property of their respective owners.
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Contents State&Initiatives&...........................................................................................................&2! 1)!
Serbia!signs!food!safety!memorandum!with!China!.........................................................................!2!
2)!
Law!on!Serbian!land!sale!to!be!published!in!June!...........................................................................!2!
3)!
Government!to!fund!“startups”!for!young!farmers!........................................................................!2!
4)!
Farmers!queue!up!to!receive!tractor!subsidies!...............................................................................!2!
5)!
Agricultural!cards!could!reduce!fuel!costs!.......................................................................................!3!
Foreign&Aid&..................................................................................................................&3! 6)!
EUR!9.5!million!invested!in!flooded!areas!of!Serbia!........................................................................!3!
7)!
IPARD!announces!second!agricultural!grant!info!evening!...............................................................!3!
8)!
15!Bojnik!women!receive!grants!for!irrigation!systems!..................................................................!4!
9)!
Merging!fields!increases!production!and!reduces!cost!...................................................................!4!
Private&Sector&..............................................................................................................&4! 10)! ‘Small!Farmers’!project!launches!....................................................................................................!4! 11)! State!of!cooperatives!in!Serbia!........................................................................................................!5! 12)! Only!16%!of!Serbian!farmers!insure!their!crops!..............................................................................!5! 13)! Orchard!fruit!under!threat!from!April!frost!.....................................................................................!5! 14)! Bad!weather!still!benefits!drought[stricken!farmers!.......................................................................!6! 15)! Agricultural!land!owners!still!waiting!for!restitution!.......................................................................!6! 16)! Controversy!over!GMO!foods!could!be!coming!to!an!end!..............................................................!6! ! ! !
Note:& The$Agriculture$Bulletin$presents$a$monthly$roundup$of$headlines$and$news$stories$related$to$Serbia’s$agricultural$sector.$$ This$bulletin$is$prepared$by$Business$&$Finance$Consulting—a$Swiss@based$development$finance$consulting$company.$Currently,$ BFC$is$implementing$“Development$of$Financial$System$in$Rural$Areas$in$Serbia”$programme$for$KfW.$Read$more$»$
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BFC Max-Högger-Strasse 6 CH-8048 Zurich, Switzerland
Phone: +41 44 784 22 22 Fax: +41 44 784 23 23
info@bfconsulting.com www.bfconsulting.com
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BFC.$Agriculture$Finance$Bulletin.$$ $
State%Initiatives% 1)! Serbia%signs%food%safety%memorandum%with%China% April$24th,$2017,$http://www.mpzzs.gov.rs/potpisan@memorandum@izmedju@srbije@i@kine@o@garancijama@za@bezbednost@hrane/$
China!and!Serbia!have!signed!a!Memorandum!of!Understanding!regarding!the!import!and!export!of!food! products! between! the! countries.! The! agreement,! ratified! on! the! 24th! of! April! 2017,! establishes! the! cooperation! and! exchange! of! scientific! information! between! the! two! nations! relating! to! the! safe! handling! and! transportation! of! many! kinds! of! foodstuffs,! including! various! types! of! meats,! dairy! products,! corn,! sugar! beets! and! prunes.! In! particular,! the! agreement! is! concerned! with! nodular! dermatitis,! a! lumpy! skin! disease! affecting! cattle.! Over! the! past! year! Serbia! has! accrued! a! wealth! of! experience!in!controlling!and!preventing!the!disease!in!Eastern!Europe,!earning!recognition!from!the!EU.! Relations!between!Serbia!and!China!have!never!been!more!congenial!than!at!the!present!time,!and!the! signing!of!this!memorandum!should!help!to!pave!the!way!for!future!Chinese!investment!in!the!Serbian! food!industry.! ! !
2)! Law%on%Serbian%land%sale%to%be%published%in%June% April$24th,$2017,$http://www.politika.rs/scc/clanak/379112/Uslov@za@strance@koji@zele@da@kupe@poljoprivredno@zemljiste$
Minister! of! Agriculture! and! Environmental! Protection! Branislav! Nedimović! has! revealed! that! the! draft! law!outlining!the!requirements!which!foreign!investors!must!meet!in!order!to!purchase!Serbian!land!for! agricultural!use!will!be!released!in!June.!The!law!is!expected!to!define!the!fixed!period!which!investors! must!reside!inside!Serbian!territory!before!they!are!permitted!to!purchase!land!and!after!its!publication,! the!draft!will!be!subject!to!a!public!hearing.!If!all!goes!to!plan!and!Serbia!complies!with!the!conditions!of! the!Agreement!on!Stabilization!and!Association!(SAA)!imposed!by!the!EU,!the!law!could!be!implemented! by!the!1st!of!September.!If!successful,!the!law!will!make!Serbia!the!only!country!which!has!legalized!the! sale!of!agricultural!land!to!foreign!investors!during!its!accession!to!the!EU.! ! !
3)! Government%to%fund%“startups”%for%young%farmers% April$21st,$2017,$ http://www.danas.rs/ekonomija.4.html?news_id=344029&title=%26quot%3bStart+up%26quot%3b+za+mlade+poljoprivrednike$
State!Secretary!of!the!Ministry!of!Agriculture!Velimir!Stanojevic!has!announced!that!the!Ministry!will!be! providing! money! to! fund! agricultural! “startup”! companies! for! young! farmers! for! the! first! time! in! its! history.!The!announcement!came!at!the!opening!of!the!Agribusiness!Conference,!which!took!place!on! the!21st!April!and!concentrated!on!new!innovations!in!farming!techniques.!As!well!as!the!use!of!drone! technology,! precision! farming! and! other! methods! of! improving! production,! the! conference! was! also! used! as! a! platform! for! the! launch! of! the! startup! grant! scheme.! It! is! hoped! the! scheme! will! encourage! young! farmers! to! remain! in! or! return! to! the! countryside,! thus! raising! the! capacity! of! the! country’s! agricultural!production.! ! !
4)! Farmers%queue%up%to%receive%tractor%subsidies% April$10th,$2017,$http://www.rtv.rs/sr_ci/ekonomija/poljoprivrednici@u@redu@za@subvencije_815282.html$
On!April!10th,!the!Ministry!of!Agriculture!and!Environmental!Protection!in!Belgrade!opened!its!doors!to! farmers!wishing!to!submit!an!application!or!receive!more!information!about!the!state!subsidies!for!the! purchase!of!new!tractors.!In!order!to!be!eligible!for!the!grant,!farmers!must!ensure!they!have!settled!all! Page!2!
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obligations! to! the! state! and! that! they! have! purchased! or! plan! to! purchase! a! tractor! with! a! maximum! capacity!of!100KW!and!a!maximum!value!of!3.6!million!RSD!for!horticulture!or!viticulture!purposes.!If! their! application! is! approved,! they! will! receive! a! government! subsidy! of! 50%! of! the! total! value! of! the! machinery.!While!over!200!farmers!arrived!to!file!the!necessary!documentation!on!the!opening!day,!the! Ministry!has!explained!that!210!million!RSD!have!been!earmarked!for!the!initiative,!meaning!there!are! plenty!of!funds!for!everyone!who!wishes!to!take!advantage!of!it!over!the!next!30!days.! ! !
5)! Agricultural%cards%could%reduce%fuel%costs% April$5th,$2017,$http://agrovizija.rs/Index.php?id=2712$
Agriculture! Minister! Branislav! Nedimović! has! posited! the! introduction! of! “agricultural! cards”! as! one! method!of!reducing!fuel!costs!through!government!subsidy.!Rising!manufacturing!costs!due!to!increased! fuel!consumption!and!elevated!oil!prices!–!oil!has!jumped!up!by!30!RSD!over!the!past!two!months!alone! –!have!put!financial!pressure!on!many!farmers,!and!reducing!that!pressure!is!one!of!the!Ministry’s!key! objectives,!according!to!Nedimović.!One!method!of!doing!so!could!be!to!remove!all!or!part!of!the!excise! duty!placed!on!fuel,!which!currently!stands!at!54.86!RSD!per!liter.! ! Under! the! proposed! scheme,! applicants! would! submit! information! concerning! the! size! and! nature! of! their!farm!to!the!government.!Based!upon!that!data,!the!government!would!then!issue!the!farmers!with! agricultural! cards! to! be! used! when! paying! for! fuel! at! any! station! in! the! country,! which! would! automatically!calculate!the!appropriate!excise!reduction.!However,!Nedimović!was!quick!to!stress!that! the!idea!was!still!in!its!infancy!and!that!any!system!would!have!to!be!agreed!upon!as!economically!and! practically!viable!with!the!Ministry!of!Finance!prior!to!its!implementation.! ! !
Foreign%Aid% 6)! EUR%9.5%million%invested%in%flooded%areas%of%Serbia% April$26th,$2017,$http://www.stips.minpolj.gov.rs/sadrzajv/eu@ulo%C5%BEila@95@miliona@evra@u@popljoprivredu@na@ poplavljenom@podru%C4%8Dju$
Since!May!2014,!more!than!36,000!farmers!affected!by!floods!and!other!natural!disasters!have!received! help! from! the! European! Union! (EU)! through! the! United! Nations! Food! and! Agriculture! Organization! (FAO).!Seed,!fertilizer,!fodder,!fruit!trees,!greenhouses!and!agricultural!machinery!worth!EUR!9.5!million! in!total!have!been!delivered!to!vulnerable!households!in!flooded!areas!of!Serbia.!It!is!estimated!that!the! assistance!has!helped!more!than!140,000!people!reestablish!their!livelihoods!following!disaster!because! of!the!EU[funded!assistance!packages.! ! !
7)! IPARD%announces%second%agricultural%grant%info%evening% April$25th,$2017,$http://www.agrosmart.net/vesti/ipard@vece@irigu@kako@bespovratnih@1752.html$
As! a! follow[up! to! its! inaugural! “Applying! for! Agricultural! Grants”! seminar,! the! Instrument! for! Pre[ Accession! Assistance! for! Rural! Development! (IPARD)! has! announced! the! second! of! such! meetings! to! take! place! on! the! 18th! May! 2017! at! Kovacevic! Winehouse! in! Irig! from! 17:00! to! 21:00.! The! event! is! planned! to! coincide! with! the! International! Agricultural! Fair! in! Novi! Sad! (13th! to! 19th! May)! and! attendees!will!be!treated!to!a!tour!of!one!of!the!most!successful!wineries!in!the!country,!as!well!as!a! wine!tasting!session.!Its!primary!purpose,!however,!will!be!to!deliver!information!on!IPARD’s!175!million! EUR!grant!program,!outlining!who!can!apply,!what!the!grants!are!for!and!how!the!whole!process!works,! from!initial!application!to!final!payout.! Page!3!
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! The!IPARD!funds!are!intended!to!bringing!Serbian!agriculture!production!and!processing!methods!into! line! with! EU! standards,! thus! increasing! the! nation’s! competitiveness! on! an! international! scale.! Grants! are!available!for!the!production!and!processing!of!meat,!milk,!fruits,!vegetables!and!other!crops,!as!well! as! for! organic! production,! local! development! strategies,! rural! tourism! and! technical! assistance.! Read! More!»! ! !
8)! 15%Bojnik%women%receive%grants%for%irrigation%systems% April$18th,$2017,$http://www.danas.rs/ekonomija.4.html?news_id=343765$
15!women!who!are!engaged!in!agricultural!practices!have!received!grants!from!the!Bojnik!Muncipality! Civic! Council! for! the! purchase! of! drip! irrigation! systems.! The! grants! are! part! of! the! “Economic! Empowerment!of!Women!in!Rural!Areas!of!the!Bojnik!Municipality”!project,!which!is!supported!by!the! European! PROGRESS! program! and! funded! by! the! EU,! the! Swiss! Government! and! the! Government! of! Serbia.! Director! of! the! Bojnik! Municipality! Civic! Council! Sasa! Dajević! says! that! the! funds! will! help! improve!agricultural!production!and!demonstrates!the!Ministry!of!Agriculture’s!ongoing!commitment!to! finance!the!purchase!of!agricultural!equipment!throughout!2017.! ! !
9)! Merging%fields%increases%production%and%reduces%cost% April$4th,$2017,$http://www.rtv.rs/sr_lat/ekonomija/aktuelno/ukrupniti@parcele@a@ne@ugroziti@vlasnistvo_813799.html$
Due! to! the! fragmentation! of! arable! land! in! Serbia,! consolidation! of! different! fields! is! necessary! for! growth,! according! to! the! State! Secretary! for! the! Ministry! of! Agriculture,! Velimir! Stanojevic.! In! the! southeastern! part! of! the! country,! the! average! area! of! a! holding! is! just! 0.15! hectares,! with! small,! irregularly!shaped!fields!posing!particular!problems.!In!2013,!the!Ministry!undertook!the!enlargement!of! fields!in!seven!municipalities!(Boljevac,!Knjaževac,!Negotin,!Paracin,!Pirot,!Svrljig!and!Žitorađa),!a!project! which!has!yielded!encouraging!results.! ! The!total!area!of!arable!land!in!each!municipality!increased!by!between!300%!and!400%,!while!at!the! same! time,! production! costs! were! reduced! by! as! much! as! 20%,! according! to! Stanojevic.! Though! the! investment!did!not!pay!off!in!the!short!term,!just!four!years!on!it!has!proven!to!be!a!wise!decision,!with! road! and! drainage! infrastructure! benefiting! and! the! plots! becoming! more! conducive! to! investment! in! agricultural! production.! The! next! step,! Stanojevic! says,! is! to! draw! up! a! new! legal! framework! for! land! consolidation! and! then! apply! the! same! procedure! to! fields! in! all! municipalities! in! Serbia.! The! German! Ambassador!also!voiced!his!support!for!the!project!–!which!has!been!partly!funded!by!Germany!–!and! claimed! that! Serbia! would! benefit! from! adapting! the! German! policy! of! land! consolidation! across! the! nation.! !
Private%Sector% 10)! ‘Small%Farmers’%project%launches% April$27th,$2017,$http://www.agrosmart.net/povrtarstvo/bastovani@malih@nogu.html$
Iceberg! Salat! Center! has! launched! the! ‘Small! Farmers’! project,! which! welcomes! children! from! 4! to! 10! years! old! to! learn! how! to! plant! and! grow! fruits! vegetables.! It! is! hoped! that! the! project! will! motivate! children!to!eat!healthy!and!gain!healthy!habits!from!an!early!age.!The!project!includes!organized!visits!to! the!company!as!well!as!visits!to!the!field!to!see!how!lettuce!and!other!fruits!and!vegetables!are!grown!in! both! open! fields! and! greenhouses.! The! company! also! plans! to! eventually! allow! parents! to! come! with! their!children!on!weekends!to!visit!the!company!and!its!fields!and!greenhouses.! Page!4!
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11)! State%of%cooperatives%in%Serbia%
April$27th,$2017,$http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/ekonomija/aktuelno.239.html:$
In!late!2015,!Serbia!passed!a!new!law!on!cooperatives!after!nearly!two!decades!of!waiting.!However,!in! the! year! and! a! half! since! the! law! was! adopted,! there! have! been! no! major! changes! to! Serbian! cooperatives!and!the!changes!that!have!been!made!are!mostly!cosmetic!only.!Proof!of!this!can!be!found! in! the! fact! that! there! are! only! 123,000! cooperative! members! in! total! and! only! 16! cooperative! unions.! Cooperative! workers! point! that! this! is! due! to! the! law! being! written! by! people! with! little[to[no! knowledge! of! or! experience! with! cooperatives.! In! fact,! when! the! law! was! proposed,! the! three! major! debates! on! it! were! held! in! large! cities! only.! Moreover,! cooperatives! today! employ! around! 10,000! workers!who!are!not!cooperative!members!themselves.! !
Rural!development!today!is!built!off!the!success!of!building!small!and!medium!enterprises!that!employ! young! professionals! into! cooperatives.! This,! in! turn,! has! an! enormous! impact! on! culture,! education,! rural!tourism!and!other!economic!activities.! ! !
12)! Only%16%%of%Serbian%farmers%insure%their%crops% April$22nd,$2017,$http://www.ekapija.com/website/sr/page/1737654/Osigurano@samo$
Though!experts!have!been!recommending!that!farmers!obtain!adequate!insurance!for!their!produce!for! years,!data!shows!that!only!16%!of!agricultural!production!in!the!country!is!insured.!This!is!largely!down! to! the! fact! that! many! smaller! manufacturers! see! it! as! an! expensive! and! unprofitable! luxury,! but! the! directors! of! leading! cooperatives! insist! it! is! a! necessity.! With! the! onset! of! climate! change,! natural! disasters! are! becoming! more! and! more! commonplace,! meaning! that! farmers! can’t! run! the! risk! of! continuing!without!protection.! ! What’s! more,! it’s! thought! that! small! manufacturers! are! unaware! of! the! financial! aid! provided! by! the! government! to! obtain! insurance.! The! state! subsidizes! 40%! of! the! insurance! premium,! while! further! discounts! can! be! obtained! on! multi[year! contracts! and! cash! payments.! Meanwhile,! some! companies! offer! partial! refunds! if! no! claims! have! been! made! after! a! certain! amount! of! time.! With! the! peace! of! mind! provided! by! a! policy! which! covers! everything! (property,! machinery,! workers,! equipment! and! crops)!and!the!financial!aid!from!the!government,!insurance!does!not!have!to!be!a!costly!business,!say! the!cooperatives.! ! !
13)! Orchard%fruit%under%threat%from%April%frost% April$21st,$2017,$http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/ekonomija/aktuelno.239.html:661557@Maline@i@jagode@najvise@stradale$
The!adverse!weather!conditions!experienced!over!the!latter!part!of!April!may!have!devastated!orchards! around!Serbia,!experts!warn.!Snow!and!frost!have!taken!their!toll!on!the!yield!of!fruits!such!as!apples,! apricots,! cherries,! peaches,! plums! and! raspberries! over! the! past! weeks,! as! well! as! endangering! the! output! from! Serbian! vineyards.! The! worst! affected! areas! are! in! Nova! Varos! and! Prijepolje! in! the! southwest!of!the!country,!where!snow!reached!heights!up!30cm!and!some!orchards!are!feared!to!have! been!completely!destroyed!by!the!inclement!weather.! ! Experts! have! surmised! that! anti[frost! systems! –! though! expensive! to! implement! –! are! the! best! protection!against!sub[zero!temperatures.!Some!speculators!have!suggested!the!state!should!subsidize! their! introduction! in! order! to! offset! the! heavy! losses! engendered! by! crop! failure,! with! South! Tyrol’s! successful! use! of! these! systems! over! 90%! of! its! 18,000! hectares! cited! as! an! example! to! follow.! The! alternative! is! to! begin! strategic! zonal! planting! –! growing! fruits! at! higher! altitudes! makes! them! less! susceptible! to! the! cold,! since! their! vegetation! periods! begin! later! in! the! year! when! the! climate! is! generally!kinder.! Page!5!
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14)! Bad%weather%still%benefits%drought[stricken%farmers% April$19th,$2017,$http://www.politika.rs/scc/clanak/378795/Mraz@unistio@tresnje@stradali@i@malinjaci$
Despite! threatening! the! yields! of! fruits! and! nuts! across! Serbia,! the! rain! and! snow! which! plagued! the! country!in!April!was!still!mostly!welcome!for!farmers.!Serbia!has!been!facing!a!severe!drought!for!the! past!15!years,!but!last!December!was!particularly!dry!–!in!Vojvodina,!only!5%!of!rain!fell!compared!to! the! average! for! the! period! over! the! last! 30! years.! In! Negotin! and! Timok,! practically! no! precipitation! arrived!at!all.!January!and!February!were!similarly!dry!months.! ! Climate!change!has!been!a!blight!on!the!country’s!agricultural!industry!for!many!years!now,!as!well!as! having!a!knock[on!effect!on!its!economy.!It’s!estimated!that!by!2000,!the!total!damage!costs!caused!by! floods! and! droughts! exceeded! 5! billion! EUR;! losses! of! more! than! 2! billion! EUR! were! incurred! in! 2012! alone.!Experts!fear!that!the!continued!effects!of!climate!change!will!see!years!like!2012!become!more! commonplace! in! the! second! half! of! the! century.! Though! annual! precipitation! is! projected! to! remain! more!or!less!the!same!over!the!next!25!years,!its!distribution!patterns!will!change!dramatically.!This!has! prompted!some!commentators!to!suggest!the!country!should!employ!serious!irrigation!systems!across! the!nation.!At!present,!only!2.5%!of!arable!land!in!Serbia!is!serviced!by!irrigation.! ! !
15)! Agricultural%land%owners%still%waiting%for%restitution% April$17th,$2017,$ http://www.danas.rs/ekonomija.4.html?news_id=343689&title=Vlasnici+poljoprivrednog+zemlji%C5%A1ta+jo%C5%A1+%C4%8 Dekaju+na+restituciju$
To!date,!5,706!offices,!buildings!and!apartments!have!been!returned!to!their!rightful!owners!and!legal! heirs! by! the! Agency! for! Restitution,! according! to! Radio! Television! of! Serbia! (RTS).! However,! about! 92,000! hectares! of! agricultural! land! are! still! owed! to! claimants! and! the! process! is! a! slow! and! arduous! one.! The! Agency! has! admitted! that! the! restitution! of! agricultural! land! is! fraught! with! difficulties,! but! advised!patience!and!pointed!to!the!25!hectares!of!arable!and!almost!5,000!hectares!of!forested!land! that!have!been!returned!to!their!former!owners!in!the!last!year!and!a!half.! ! The!process!has!been!complicated!by!poorly!regulated!property!regulations,!incomplete!records!of!state! appropriation!of!agricultural!ground!and!confusion!over!the!legality!of!land!use,!says!Strahinja!Sekulić,! Director! of! the! Agency.! Some! of! the! problems! encountered! include! the! absence! of! free! land! in! a! municipality!where!it!is!owed,!due!to!the!property!being!lawfully!sold!onto!another!private!owner!in!the! interim.! In! this! case,! a! compensation! figure! (or! perhaps! land! in! an! adjacent! municipality)! is! the! only! solution.!It!is!hoped!that!changes!to!the!law!will!speed!up!the!process,!which!is!projected!to!take!at!least! eight!years!if!the!law!stays!the!same!but!only!around!half!that!time!if!improvements!are!made.! ! !
16)! Controversy%over%GMO%foods%could%be%coming%to%an%end% April$2nd,$2017,$http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/125/drustvo/2687089/da@li@ce@i@u@srbiji@biti@dozvoljen@promet@gmo@ hrane@.html$
The!law!prohibiting!the!cultivation!or!sale!of!GMO!crops!in!Serbia!is!one!of!the!obstacles!to!the!nation! joining! the! World! Trade! Organization! (WTO),! since! the! body! demands! freedom! of! trade! as! one! of! the! cornerstones!of!its!ethos.!Even!though!19!EU!member!states!have!banned!the!cultivation!of!GMO!within! their!borders,!they!must!allow!its!traffic!to!remain!part!of!the!WTO.!Serbia,!on!the!other!hand,!has!taken! a!stricter!stance!on!the!subject!and!controversy!about!the!introduction!of!GMO!products!continues!to! divide!the!country!in!two.! ! On! the! one! hand,! its! opponents! claim! that! it! could! threaten! the! competitiveness! of! Serbian! farmers,! since! they! are! not! equipped! with! the! means! to! manufacture! GMO! crops,! while! they! also! claim! that! it! Page!6!
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endangers!human!health.!On!the!other!hand,!its!supporters!argue!there!is!no!evidence!to!suggest!it!is! dangerous,!highlighting!its!use!in!livestock!for!over!20!years!and!its!role!in!the!production!of!insulin!on!a! large!scale.!Perhaps!the!only!point!upon!which!the!two!parties!can!agree!is!that!all!GMO!foods!must!be! clearly!labelled!in!the!event!of!its!legalization.! ! In!any!case,!the!controversy!could!soon!be!coming!to!an!end!–!a!special!panel!of!experts!in!the!fields!of! nutrition,! medicine! and! pharmaceuticals! has! been! appointed! to! bring! about! a! verdict.! At! present,! the! biggest! producers! of! GMO! foodstuffs! are! the! United! States,! followed! by! Brazil,! Argentina! and! India.! Depending!on!the!final!judgement,!Serbia!could!be!joining!that!list!in!the!foreseeable!future.! ! !
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