State Initiatives

1) Agriculture Minister Warns Against Subsidy Abuse

April 29th, 2021, http://www.agronews.rs/nedimovic-ova-godina-bice-godina-kontrole-datih-subvencija/

Agricultural Minister Branislav Nedimovic has reminded agricultural producers not to conclude any illegal agreements with so-called “match-makers” as this would constitute subsidy abuse, which is a criminal offense. Any suspicious activities in this regard should be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture or by email to info@minpolj.gov.rs.

2) Minister Supports National Guarantee Fund for Agricultural Production

April 22nd, 2021, https://beta.rs/ekonomija/ekonomija-srbija/145151-krkobabic-bez-podrske-drzave-nema-sigurnosti-za-seljake

Rural Welfare Minister Milan Krkobabic has stated the importance of supporting farmers in ensuring prices and access to basic, strategic agricultural products. In this regard, he stated his support for a national guarantee fund that would provide producers with a guaranteed price for strategically-important agricultural products such as beef, corn, oilseeds, pork, raspberries and wheat.

3) Nearly RSD 42 Billion Allocated for Agricultural Subsidies

April 17th, 2021, https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/nedimovic-budzet-za-subvencije-u-poljoprivredi-gotovo-42-milijarde-dinara/

Agriculture Minister Branislav Nedimovic has announced that the state budget for agricultural subsidies is nearly RSD 42 billion. This includes subsidies aimed at promoting livestock production, a sector viewed as important for continue agricultural and rural development. This year, there will also be new subsidies for wineries and distilleries as the state has the goal of adding between 800 and 1,000 new hectares of vineyards per year.

4) Farmers Author Open Letter Asking for Promised Financial Support

April 15th, 2021, http://www.agronews.rs/poljoprivrednici-od-ministra-traze-zaostale-podsticaje/

The Association of Young Farmers of Serbia, the Association of Sheep Breeders of Serbia and the Association of Livestock Breeders of Srem and Macva have written an open letter to Agriculture Minister Branislav Nedimovic to outline the most important problems affecting Serbian farmers today. In particular, the letter highlights that: (1) many farmers are still waiting for promised COVID-19-related financial assistance; reduced subsidy amount are unacceptable, especially amid a pandemic; and farmers are demanding the payment of all promised financial support from 2020 and previous years. The letter also highlights problems with the state’s young famer incentive program, including unannounced calls, confusion over maximum amounts allowed, funds being only partially received and rejections for unknown reasons. The letter concludes with a call for action from the Ministry of Agriculture to deliver promised financial support as soon as possible.

5) RSD 500,000,000 Million in State Support for Cooperatives

April 2nd, 2021, https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/krkobabic-u-topoli-pozvao-na-dalje-udruzivanje-poljoprivrednika-u-zadruge/

Rural Welfare Minister Milan Krkobabic recently spoke of the importance of specialized fruit, vineyard, vegetable, livestock and rural tourist cooperatives for continued rural development. To this end, he reminded that RSD 500,000,000 million has been allocated to the state program to support such cooperatives, with a call for a public competition for the funds expected in the near future. According to