Private Sector

14) USAID online panel informs of key agricultural issues amid COVID-19 pandemic

April 14th, 2020, https://agrosmart.net/2020/04/14/proizvodjaci-voca-i-povrca-na-gubitku-nuzno-povecanje-plasmana/

The Competitive Economy Project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) held a third online panel as part of its World Wants Home initiative. The panel, which featured discussions on obstacles and opportunities for fruit and vegetable producers in times of crisis, informed food producers about key issues and ways to better manage their business during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the panel discussed how it was important for production works to continue and for new market outlets, especially domestic ones, to be found and taken advantage of until normalcy resumes.

15) FAO, EBRD to help Serbian food producers meet new hygiene bylaws

April 12th, 2020, https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2020/04/serbian-food-producers-get-help-to-meet-new-hygiene-rules/

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are preparing guidelines and promotional materials to help producers comply with new hygiene bylaws on food products of plant origin that were recently passed by the Serbian government. Under this new legislation, producers can continue following traditional methods for making and selling products such as fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs, as long as they are safe. There is some flexibility in the new rules in that some requirements are not compulsory for smallscale operators or can be adapted to their conditions. This will help preserve the diversity of Serbian products without sacrificing food safety and hygiene.

The new bylaws were adopted to help bring Serbian legislation in line with European standards as Serbia works toward full membership in the European Union (EU).

Private Sector

16) Drought conditions threaten corn, soybean and sunflower harvests

April 21st, 2020, http://rs.n1info.com/Biznis/a591473/Susa-ugrozava-nicanje

Droughts throughout Serbia are threatening corn, soybean and sunflower harvests this year as soil in sown areas is not demonstrating the necessary moisture levels for such crops to sprout and grow. A similar situation occurred last year during the sowing period, although later rains eventually saved spring crops. To counter the current drought conditions, experts are recommending that producers feed crops until the first rains comes and that corn producers who have yet to plant corn seeds plant them more deeply, where soil moisture levels and more acceptable.

17) GDP predicted to decline 3% this year

April 17th, 2020, https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/poljoprivreda-i-prehrambena-industrija-cuvaju-pad-bdp-a-u-srbiji/

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is predicting that Serbia’s GDP will decline by 3.0% this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main reason for this decline is that the share of agriculture and food industry producers in Serbia’s economy is 7.5%. This is much higher than the average in Central and Eastern Europe (3.5%) and Western Europe (2.0%). Despite the predicted fall in GDP this year, the IMF is predicting growth of 7.1% next year. Such optimistic forecasts for the future are likely to help increase investments and large-scale (i.e. on a government level) borrowing and reduce the long-term negative impact of the pandemic.

18) 47,458 permits granted to farmers, easing their restrictions on movements

April 16th, 2020, https://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/ekonomija/aktuelno.239

Although there are restrictions on the movement of persons imposed by the government to combat the spread of COVID-19, there is a system of exceptions for those with legitimate needs. For farmers, this need is evident as they must complete field works in a timely fashion. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture has announced that 47,458 applications for permits have been approved for farmers. The permits allow farmers to complete necessary activities outside of curfew hours. Permit applications can be submitted online.

19) Novi Sad International Agricultural Fair scheduled for September

April 16th, 2020, https://www.ekapija.com/en/news/2852930/agricultural-fair-in-novi-sad-slated-for-september

The Novi Sad International Agricultural Fair has been tentatively rescheduled for September 19-25, 2020. These dates are contingent on the situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic allowing for the fair to take place. Other agricultural fairs, both in Serbia and throughout Europe, scheduled for spring and summer are also expected to be rescheduled for autumn.

20) How COVID-19 has changed and is changing the agricultural sector

April 15th, 2020, http://www.rtv.rs/sr_ci/ekonomija/kako-je-kovid-promenio

Participants at an online conference organized by the Franco-Serbian Chamber of Commerce discussed the current state of the agricultural sector. In discussing the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants agreed that the sector, once it was able to effectively reorganize supply chains, has been strong in production and ensuring food safety in the country. At the same time, participants did express concern about how border closures are impacting and would continue to impact (even after reopening) the sector in the medium term. Participants also highlighted that the pandemic may lead to new ways for producers and consumers to connect in the future, pointing out that increased online purchases of agricultural products during the pandemic period may become a trend as consumers become comfortable with and even used to this way of purchasing agricultural products.

21) Serbian food security not at risk, but food prices may rise

April 15th, 2020, https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/hrane-ce-biti-dovoljno-cene-malo-vece/

With spring sowing beginning on two million hectares across the country, experts have analyzed the current status of Serbia’s agricultural sector and come to the understanding that the state of the country’s food security is not at issue. At the same time, experts are predicting that some hard times could be ahead. They particularly note that it will likely be a difficult period for small- and medium-sized producers in the short term as many markets are temporarily closed. In the long term, they predict prices for many agricultural products will rise slightly once the COVID-19 pandemic has ended but will gradually return to normal in future seasons.

Prepared by Business & Finance Consulting (BFC) www.bfconsulting.com Articles are taken directly from local sources without any fact-checking; they are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. Business & Finance Consulting (BFC)’s editing is limited to providing a short summary in English of the texts, highlighting the main points of the original articles. All rights reserved by the authors. BFC takes no responsibility and does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, or assume any responsibility whatsoever for the content, accuracy, and reliability, or completeness of any of the articles.