BFC. Agriculture Finance Bulletin.
Private Sector 4)
Cattle exports to Turkey expected to resume shortly
August 25th, 2020, http://www.agronews.rs/izvoz-junadi-u-tursku-na-vidiku/
It has been announced that cattle exports to Turkey are expected to resume in the near future. The announcement comes as a measure of relief for many Serbian cattle producers, although purchase prices for exported cattle still have yet to be determined. The number of Serbian cattle currently ready for export is estimated to be over 15,000.
5)
Serbian plums ripe to enter Middle Eastern markets
August 22nd, 2020, http://rs.n1info.com/Biznis/a632167/PKS-Izvoz-sljive-na-Bliski-istok-je-sansa-za-srpske-proizvodjace.html
Marko Selakovic, head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Dubai, has found that Middle Eastern markets offer a very large potential for Serbian plums. In particular, he noted that that, in these markets, Serbian plum exporters can take advantage of markets with duty-free or only a symbolic VAT. At the same time, Mr. Selakovic was careful to caution exporters to take care to supply these markets with high-quality products and packaging as well as provide on-time delivery in order ensure that they can establish a strong position. Serbia is among the global leaders in plum production, with more than 558,930 tons of plums produced in 2019.
6)
Beekeepers looking for state assistance
August 21st, 2020, http://www.agronews.rs/pcelari-traze-pomoc-drzave/
Rodoljub Zivadinovic, president of the Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia, has appealed for state help to speed up the payment of subsidies to beekeepers in this difficult year. Although the year started off promising for the sector, waves of bad weather have drastically reduced this year’s honey production. In fact, honey production has dropped to almost nothing in some areas. Given the large financial losses from this year’s poor performance, a large number of beekeepers are expected to have significant issues to survive and need state support.
7)
Sunflower harvest impacted by drought, disease and poor planning
August 19th, 2020, https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/u-srbiji-kisa-zaustavila-zetvu-suncokreta-prinos-ranih-sorti-slab/
The yield of sunflowers will be weaker on average this year due a combination of disease, inappropriate crop rotation and lower than normal rain amounts. This has resulted in yields per hectare ranging from 2 tons to 4 tons, with an average of 3.1-3.2 tons per hectare. Oil mills in the country are expected to procure much of the sunflower harvest this year and are likely to pay better prices than exporters. The final purchase price is likely to be between RSD 35 and RSD 40 per kilogram, although this has yet to be determined. In total, approximately 220,000 hectares of sunflowers were sown in Serbia this year.
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