The Netherlands meets the West Balkans: Report from the Novi Sad Fair
The 89th International Agricultural Fair attracted 140 thousand visitors. The Netherlands was present with an Orange Pavilion, hosting ten companies and a seminar on alternative protein in feed.
Way down south in the Carpathian Basin where the flatlands of the Great Pannonian Plain are interrupted by the Fruska Gora mountains jutting up from the grass sea lies the bustling city of Novi Sad. The town that is overlooked by an imposing castle from the southern bank of the River Danube is an hour to the North-West from Belgrade. It is a charming touristic spot, a jewel of Serbia and an especially important place for the agriculture industry in the country and the wider region.
Novi Sad is the home of a renowned annual international agricultural fair that attracts professionals, farmers, businesspeople and other stakeholders not just from the West Balkans but in fact from the wider European neighborhood.
Novi Sad Fair: The place to be for farmers every spring
Between May 21-27, Novi Sad hosted its 89th International Agricultural Fair which attracted 140 thousand visitors. The fair was officially opened by President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, together with Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, the fair’s partner country in 2022.
Traditionally, the Novi Sad Fair is an annual meeting place for farmers and agriculture industry businesses from the wider region, but policy makers, government representatives also visit to meet their foreign counterparts, stakeholders of industry and other organizations at the fair. Countries with strong agricultural traditions also regularly maintain a presence.
Surrounded by the cacophony of the buzzing agricultural expo was the great hall of the fair, housing nine country stands. One of these was the Orange Pavilion of the Netherlands. This Orange Pavilion hosted ten Dutch companies which attracted many visitors who came to the fair from all over the West Balkans.
The LAN team Budapest-Belgrade, which is responsible for agriculture diplomacy in Hungary, Serbia, Austria and Montenegro were joined at the stand by colleagues from the economic diplomacy departments of the Netherlands Embassies of Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, as well as Ineke van de Weijgaert, regional coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). and H. E. Joost Reintjes, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Serbia also visited the Orange Pavilion and met with company representatives and other stakeholders.
Sustainable protein sources in livestock feed: The Dutch strategy and the Serbian angle
The colleagues of the Dutch agriculture diplomacy team also hosted a seminar at the fair, which attracted interested parties from all over the region.
This seminar focused on discussing the Serbian and Dutch approaches and achievements in the field of sustainability and affordability of protein in feed for the livestock sector, which makes an important contribution to the global food supply in times when the world population continues to grow but series of crises are rocking the agricultural economy.
While the West Balkans and Serbia experience these issues in a completely different manner, a common thread is the gaining importance of alternative sources of protein.
The panelists of the seminar included Tomislav Topalovic, Advisor at the Ministry of Agriculture of Serbia, Ineke van de Weijgaert, Regional Coordinator at Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Jovana Djisalov, from the Donau Soja Association and Jan Bakker, International Consultant Nutritionist at Duynie Group. The opening and closing remarks were delivered by Koen van Ginneken, Agricultural Counsellor at the Netherlands Embassy in Hungary, accredited to Hungary, Serbia, Austria and Montenegro.
Mr. Topalovic talked in his preentation about the development that the Serbian Ministry is now preparing new legislation that should be adopted by the end of 2022, which will allow the use of insect protein in animal feed. Serbia is a big producer of soya and other legumin plants and alternatives like insect protein have not been its key focus so far. The area planted with soybeans in Serbia has increased drastically over the last fifteen years, from 131 thousand hectares in 2005 to 230 thousand in 2019 (Find out more in our previous article on soybean cultivation in Serbia).
Ms. van de Weijgaert explained in her presentation that the Netherlands aims to reduce import dependance on protein-rich raw materials from outside the EU, which are sometimes linked to deforestation. The Netherlands is the second-largest importer of soymeal. To lower import dependence, the country is looking at options for the optimal use of waste streams and stimulating the production of protein rich crops amongst others.
Ms. Djisalov talked about the Dunau Soya Association which is an international multistakeholder association working with all parts of the value chain. Soya sowing in the EU has increased by 10-15% last year and according to Ms. Djisalov, Serbia follows this trend. Ms. Djisalov also mentioned that the total soybean area in Europe is now projected to grow by 2% to 4.4 million hectares. The main European trend is to shift towards 100% sustainable imports, and also, raising the EU’s soya self sufficiency rate to 50% - A strategy that is in line with the Serbian view.
Mr. Bakker introduced the Duynie group, which is a cooperative in the agriculture industry that is focused on creating new values from potato processing, through the brewery industry and sugar beat processing to starch production from wheat or maize amongst others. One of those values is the protein for the feed industry as an alternative to traditional sources.
It’s a wrap! Stay tuned for more!
The May 27 closing day of the Novi Sad Fair brought another major agriculture diplomacy project to a successful end. However, the year is far from over! Stay tuned for more events, projects and opportunities by following us on ABB Hungary, ABB Serbia, and the official LAND BDP-BEL twitter channel.
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