Serbia: New agricultural strategy targets food sovereignty

Food sovereignty at the center of Serbia’s new agricultural strategy

The restoration of food sovereignty is set to become a central objective of Serbia’s new ten-year Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, which will guide the sector through 2034. The expert draft will soon be presented to the public, with proposed measures including green scholarships for rural youth, school meals sourced from local farms, systematic food price regulation, and significantly increased investment in rural development.

According to Professor Tatjana Brankov, the strategy’s lead author and Special Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, the plan signals a strategic shift in Serbia’s agricultural policy—one aimed at strengthening its most vulnerable sectors, such as pig farming, dairy production, and the domestic manufacturing of agricultural inputs. “We’re working to rebuild food sovereignty by fostering innovation, encouraging knowledge transfer, and harmonizing with EU agricultural regulations,” Brankov told national broadcaster RTS. “A key element of this shift will also be a fundamental change in how agriculture is subsidized.” Currently, 88% of Serbia’s agricultural budget is directed toward direct payments to farmers, while only a small fraction supports rural development. “The strategy recommends a substantial rebalancing,” Brankov said. “While the 2025 budget is already set and cannot be amended, we expect rural development allocations to rise to 15% over the next three years. By the end of the strategy’s term, the target is 30%, in line with European Union standards.”

The strategy places strong emphasis on youth and education, introducing green scholarships to support students from farming families who pursue studies in veterinary medicine, agronomy, agroecology, and related disciplines—aiming to ensure generational continuity in agriculture. Another major initiative is the school meal program, designed to supply schools with locally sourced fruit, vegetables, milk, and meat. “This initiative not only improves nutrition but also helps reduce agricultural surpluses,” explained Brankov. “We will also run educational workshops for children, addressing concerns about excessive salt, trans fats, and other harmful ingredients in school meals.”

The strategy also proposes the creation of a Food Ombudsman, a new institution dedicated to safeguarding consumer rights and overseeing food price regulation. “This is one of several proposals that will be submitted for public consultation. Similar models are being adopted across the region. Serbia must establish clear rules in this area,” Brankov emphasized and reports RTS.

New Veterinary control measures for import of animal product into Serbia

In response to the current global epizootiological situation, Serbia is introducing stricter controls on the issuance of permits for the import and transit of consignments subject to veterinary-sanitary inspection, the Ministry of Agriculture has announced on its website.

The Ministry emphasizes that this is not a ban on imports, but rather an additional health screening of shipments, based on a detailed risk assessment. This analysis takes into account the geographical and other relevant characteristics of the exporting country, as well as potential routes that may contribute to the emergence, spread, or persistence of infectious animal diseases. The decision is a precautionary measure, aimed solely at preventing the introduction of such diseases into Serbia, following outbreaks reported in certain countries, reads the statement

Serbian-made agricultural robot plants, sprays and harvests

The Serbian tech company COMING, in collaboration with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Nis, has developed AgAR, an autonomous robotic vehicle designed to perform a wide range of agricultural tasks, including planting, spraying, irrigation, harvesting, and weed control. “We created AgAR in response to global challenges: the growing demand for food and the shrinking agricultural workforce,” said Marko Tamburic, R&D Manager at COMING. AgAR is engineered to handle multiple operations and is compatible with both standard agricultural attachments and advanced tools used in precision farming, such as robotic arms, sensors, and various cameras. Its rough design allows it to operate on uneven and sloped terrain, with adjustable ground clearance and repositionable wheels to suit different crops and field conditions. Powered entirely by electricity, AgAR offers operational autonomy of 6 to 10 hours, depending on terrain and task complexity. The development team is currently working on enabling full autonomous navigation, which will allow the robot to independently chart optimal routes and avoid obstacles. It’s already equipped with a suite of advanced sensors—including radar, ultrasonic detectors, LiDAR, and stereo cameras—enabling real-time environment mapping. The system slows the robot when it detects an object within 3 meters and brings it to a full stop at 50 centimeters. The base model is priced at 60.000 EUR, while the premium version—featuring an additional battery pack and equipment for carrying agricultural tools—costs up to 90.000 EUR. “With government subsidies and average usage of 90 days per year, the investment can pay off in under three years,” Tamburic noted.

Delta Agrar Introduces AI technology to Serbia's fruit sector

Delta Agrar has become the first company in Serbia to implement intelligent electric platforms (LNS) to automate key processes in fruit production. According to General Manager Luka Popovic, the ultimate goal is to introduce a new, advanced approach to agriculture in the Serbian market, one that leverages autonomous machines and artificial intelligence to produce higher-quality fruit. The LNS systems significantly improve efficiency and safety during critical orchard operations such as harvesting, pruning, and thinning. These platforms reduce physical labor, accelerate workflows and ultimately lower operational costs. The technology was showcased at Delta Agrar’s orchard in Celarevo, as part of a broader collaboration with partners from South Korea and scientific institutions in Serbia, reports Tanjug

Serbia introduces Drone Regulations aligned with EU standards

The Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Aleksandra Sofronijevic, held discussions with the heads of leading aviation companies in Serbia to address key steps for advancing the country's air traffic sector. A central topic of the meeting was the development of a legal framework for regulating unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), according to a statement from the Ministry. Particular attention was given to proposed amendments to the Air Traffic Act, which will establish the legal foundation for the registration and use of drone systems. The new regulations will empower the Government of Serbia, based on proposals from the Ministry of Transport, to define specific geographic zones where drones may be operated. These rules are designed to align with European Union standards and best practices, reports Ekapija portal.

Poultry becomes first choice among consumers

Although it goes through certain cycles, poultry farming in Serbia represents a branch of livestock production with strong potential for rapid recovery and growth. Serbia has significant prerequisites for development and export, especially in light of the growing demand for poultry meat both domestically and internationally.

With the global and European poultry industries experiencing growth in recent decades (driven by increasing demand for eggs and poultry meat) the question arises: how is domestic production managing? As more people are turning to poultry-based diets, European production struggles to keep up with demand. In contrast to trends in Europe and the rest of the world, the situation in Serbia is somewhat different, says agricultural economist Milan Prostran in an interview with Bizportal. “Poultry farming in Serbia goes through cycles, but it has the unique ability to recover quickly. Our domestic production meets market needs, although it faces threats like avian influenza, which can cause disruptions. Still, thanks to the sector’s fast recovery, production manages to meet market demands,” Prostran emphasized for daily Dnevnik.

Experts say that poultry has become the first choice among consumers, not only because of its nutritional value, but also due to its quick and easy preparation. In addition, poultry farming is significantly faster compared to other branches of livestock production. For example, it takes a maximum of 40 days to produce one kilogram of poultry meat, or a total of 60 days from preparing the facility, housing day-old chicks, fattening, slaughter, and packaging fresh meat.

The EU regulations impose stricter standards in the areas of animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Although Serbia is not yet legally bound to apply these regulations, they already pose challenges for non-EU producers, including Serbian ones. If they want to export to EU countries, Serbian producers will have to adapt their production processes to meet these requirements. “The European Commission’s audits of Serbia’s systems have raised concerns about poultry registration, health control and official inspections. The Veterinary Directorate and Veterinary Clinics entrusted with public health duties need to work together on a “Health Protection Measures Program”. It is necessary to create a register of poultry farms, track the number of birds per flock and categorize farms. A large number of farms are invisible in the system, small rural holdings, or those producing a commercial surplus, for instance those fattening 1.000 or more chickens,” explained Sanja Celebicanin, director of the Business Association of Poultry Farmers of Serbia, for E-kapija portal.