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Private Sector
9) Spanish agricultural technology on display for Serbian producers
December 14th, 2020, https://www.ekapija.com/en/news/3104295/spanish
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The Economic Department of the Embassy of Spain in Belgrade and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade are presenting the most advanced Spanish agricultural technology to Serbian producers at the Expo Online Agriculture event. In particular, six Spanish companies will offer their services and be available for online meetings: Semillas Fito (a seed company), TradeCorp (offering plant feeding and plant protection products), RKD (offering pivot irrigation systems, Criado y Lopez (offering agritextile and crop protection nets) and Novagric and Inverca (both offering solutions for growing in a protected space).
Spain is one of the leading agricultural producers in Europe and the world, despite much of its agricultural production being concentrated in parts of the country that have climates and soil qualities not typically favorable for agriculture.
Private Sector
December 22nd, 2020, http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view_en.aspx?izb=616146
The agricultural company Sunoko, a member of the MK Group, has opened an agricultural research and development center, the first of its kind in Serbia. The center will make use of cutting-edge technology to enable more efficient sugar beet production. It will also keep up with the latest scientific research and advances as well as ensure that production techniques are in line with the guidelines of the best agricultural practices.
11) Duty-free fruit and vegetable exports to the EU to continue
December 21st, 2020, http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view_en.aspx?izb=615957
Fruit and vegetable producers and exporters from Serbia and other Western Balkan economies will be able to continue duty-free exports of their goods to the European Union (EU) for five more years following a recent EU decision. The decision, renewed every five years at the European Commission’s recommendation, has been adopted by the European Parliament and approved by the Council of the EU. This measure will help Serbia fruit and vegetable producers and exporters further develop by giving them a stronger position in EU markets than they otherwise would have had.
12) State agricultural budget set for 2021
December 21st, 2020, http://www.agronews.rs/poljoprivredna-kasa-teska-528-milijardi-dinara/
The Assembly of Serbia recently passed the Law on the Budget for 2021, which has allocated RSD 41,865,313,000 for agricultural subsidies in the coming year. This is only slightly more than the RSD 41,008,753,000 made available under the 2020 state budget. While the budget has been set, special acts (expected to come in the first months of the new year) will determine for what purposes subsidies in 2021 can be used.
In addition, the 2021 budget allocates RSD 52,824,876,000 to the Ministry of Agriculture, including RSD 38,351,789,000 for the Administration for Agrarian Payments and RSD 572,264,000 for the Administration for Agricultural Land.
December 17th, 2020, https://agrosmart.net/2020/12/17/vinarstvo-i-vinogradarstvo-znacajan-privredni-potencijal-srbije/
The online Winemaking and Viticulture as an Economic Potential in Serbia conference featured discussions around the government’s recent decision to adopt the National Strategy for the Development of Winemaking and Viticulture. In particular, participants discussed the importance of state support for winemaking, especially as the industry tries to recover from a difficult 2020. Participants also discussed the need for winemakers to gather around a common concept for development as well as currentlyavailable incentives and new market opportunities.
14) Serbian raspberries attracting increased prices on export markets
December 15th, 2020, https://www.novosti.rs/vesti/ekonomija/945155/srpska
Serbian raspberries have attracted an increased price of EUR 3.5 per kilogram on world markets. Experts believe this increased price is due to the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic increasing demand for healthier foods and the raspberry harvests in competing producer countries (e.g. Chile, Poland) failing significantly. Serbia has been partially filling worldwide raspberry deficits; however, its stocks are now decreasing rapidly. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture recently announced that it will subsidize the renewal of raspberry production with quality planting material. This will help the sector maintain its position worldwide and, hopefully, open up new, more lucrative contracts.
December 13th, 2020, https://agrosmart.net/2020/12/13/poljoprivredni
Producer prices of agricultural and fishery products in October 2020 increased by 3.8% compared to September 2020 and by 10.9% year-on-year. The greatest increases were seen in the price of fruits (up 21.6% year-on-year), cereals (up 21.1% year-on-year) and industrial plants (up 12.6% year-on-year). Average producer prices of agricultural and fishery products for the January—October 2020 period increased by 3.9% year-on-year.
16) Call for extra earnings to be shared with berry producers
December 11th, 2020, http://rs.n1info.com/Biznis/a682444/Apel
The president of the Association of Raspberry and Blackberry Producers in Serbia is calling on berry exporters to share their extra earnings from the sale of Serbian berries in export markets with berry producers. This would help motivate producers to renew their production efforts and restore faith in the sector as a profitable one for producers.
Berries have been exported recently at prices at least 70% higher than their purchase prices.
17) Serbian livestock producers concerned over low prices
December 9th, 2020, https://www.novosti.rs/vesti/ekonomija/943533/bez-slava
Serbian livestock producers have recently expressed concerns over the lower purchases they are seeing for their production, mostly due to cheaper imports. For example, Serbia has imported 16,000 tons of pork (worth more than EUR 44 million) from the European Union (EU) in the last nine months. At the same time, Serbian livestock producers are facing higher input prices, especially higher prices for corn feed and fatteners.
18) Possible record autumn/winter wheat harvest
December 2nd, 2020, http://rs.n1info.com/Biznis/a678914/Prostran-Moze-se-ocekivati-rekordna-proizvodnja-psenice.html
At the time of sowing autumn/winter wheat, the price of wheat (at RSD 21.22 per kilogram) was slightly more than last year. This gave an additional impetus for producers to plant more this year. In fact, experts believe that, if the weather this winter and spring are good, this year may be a record year in terms of production.
19) Potential to expand cooperation with China, Central and Eastern Europe
December 2nd, 2020, http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view_en.aspx?izb=610601
Veljko Jovanovic of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (PKS) has noted that Serbia has the potential to expand cooperation with Chinese and Central and Eastern European partners, especially in the areas of wine and spirits, berry fruits and grains. In this regard, Jovanovic urged Chinese investors to consider increasing their investments in Serbian agriculture.
20) Sales of agricultural products up 13.1%
December 2nd, 2020, https://agrosmart.net/2020/12/02/prodaja-i-otkup-poljoprivrednih-proizvoda-porasli-za-131-odsto/
The total value of sales of agricultural, forestry and fishery products in Serbia in the third quarter of 2020 was 13.1% higher year-on-year by current prices. For the first nine months of 2020, this figure was 8.6%.
21) Deal brings sustainable agricultural technologies to Serbia
December 1st, 2020, https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/935289/roots
Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies Limited (Roots) is expanding its European presence through a deal with established agriculture and water treatment technologies supplier Avital COO (Avital). The deal will see the Root’s proprietary root zone temperature optimization and heat exchange probe technology be deployed in Serbia and other Balkan countries. Avital plans on using the new technology to boost blueberry production capacity. Specifically, 420 blueberry plants will be heated or cooled using the technology as part of an initial trial. Roots is confident that a successful trial will generate revenuegenerating contracts in Serbia.
22) International Agricultural Fair held online
December 1st, 2020, https://www.ekapija.com/en/news/3088434/this-years
This year’s International Agricultural Fair was held in an online format from December 14, 2020 through December 18, 2020. The event featured more than 130 exhibitors from Serbia and abroad who offer agricultural products and services. Visitors interested in conducting business with exhibitors were able to initiate online videos and calls to discuss possible collaboration.
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.
